Roasted Butternut Squash Soup ｜ 烤葫蘆南瓜湯

Compare to the non-roasted version, roasted butternut squash instead brings a tremendous different in the flavour.  The caramelized squash enhances the natural sweetness and roasty taste in the soup.

This classic soup is so easy to make and many people are properly eat it throughout fall and winter.  

To fasten the roasting process, I diced the butternut squash and roast it with other ingredients until they are caramelized.  In this way, all ingredients will be ready at the same time and simplify the cooking process.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

烤葫蘆南瓜湯

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash

1 Onion

1 cup Carrot

2 sprigs, Sage

1 canned Chicken Soup

2 cups Water

1/4 cup Heavy Cream, plus more to serve

Olive Oil

Salt

How to make it:

1. Rinse the butternut squash; dry it.

2. Half the squash lengthwise.  Scoop out and discard the seeds.

3. Cut off and discard the skin.

4. Dice the squash; set it in a mixing bowl.

5. Skin the onion; cut the onion into 2 cm slices.  Add it to the mixing bowl.

6. Dice the carrot.

7. Slice the sage.

8. In the mixing bowl, combine the carrot, squash, onion, sage.  Drizzle olive oil and mix it until the ingredients are evenly coated.

9. Add the mixture on a roasting pan.  Roast it in the pre-heated at 420F for about 20 minutes or until it is caramelized.  Remove it from the oven.

10. Add the mixture in a pot.  Pour in chicken stock and 2 cups of water.

11. Blend the soup until smooth and make sure no chunks of vegetables left.

12. Heat up the soup over high heat; stirring constantly.

13. Add heavy cream.

14.  Continuously cook until the soup heat through.  Serve immediately.

15.  Add some more cream when serve if desire.

Stir-fried Green Mango with Pork Belly

 

Ingredients:

2 Green Mangoes

400 gram Pork Belly

4 Star Anise

5 Garlic Cloves, chopped

2 large cubes Rock Sugar

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Wine

4 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Direction:

1. Peel the mangoes; cut them into thin slices. Cut the pork belly into thin slices.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine pork belly, vegetable oil, garlic, soy sauce, and cooking wine together. Mix well. Leave it for about 20 minutes.

3. Heat up about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. Add rock sugar and and star anises. Fry until fragrant and the rock sugar is half dissolved.

4. Add pork belly. Stir fry over high heat until the pork belly change colour. Add mangoes; continue to stir fry until the pork belly is thoroughly cooked and the mangoes heat through. Serve with steamed rice.

Soba Noodles with Ginger and Green Onion Oil

 

Ingredients:

1 bundle Soba Noodles

5 Green Onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons Ginger, finely chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Direction:

1. To make the oil, combine ginger, garlic, green onion, and salt in a large bowl. Heat up the oil over medium-high until it reaches the cooking point. Immediately pour it over the oil.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add soba noodles. Boil over high heat until they are soften. Drain well. Mix the noodles with the oil.

Spicy Green Mango

Ingredients:

1 Mango

1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Water

Direction:

1. Peel and pit the mango; cut the flesh into chunks.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well. Serve immediately.

Simple Garlicky Okra

Ingredient:

20 Okras

1 head Garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Direction:

1. Bring a boil of water to a boil. Add okras; boil them over high heat for 5 minutes. Drain. Place them on a serving plate.

2. Drizzle the soy sauce over the okras. Top them with chopped garlic.

3. In a fry pot, heat up the vegetable oil until it reaches the smoking point. Pour it slowly over the garlic. It’s ready to serve.

Summer Avocado Corn Salad

Avocado Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS:

3 Avocados, pitted and cubed

3 Corn

1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved

1/4 Red Onion, sliced

1/3 cup Parsley, finely chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Lime, juiced

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Remove the kernels from the corn. Boil a pot of water. Boil the corn until cooked. Run the corn under cold water to cool off. Drain.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients. Gently mix to combine.

Pan-fried Eggplant with Soy

Ingredients:

2 Eggplants, halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1.5 tablespoons Sugar

3 tablespoons Ginger, grated

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Sesame Seed for garnish (optional)

Direction:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the vegetable oil and eggplants.

2. Add oil in a non stick pan. Place the eggplants in the pan with skin side up.  Turn on the heat to medium. Fry them for about 5 minutes.

3. Pour the sauce over the eggplant. Continue to fry until the sauce is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top if using. Enjoy.

Summer Marinated Tomato

Ingredients:

2 large Tomatoes, ripen

1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

1/3 cup Basil, thinly sliced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Direction:

1. In a large container, combine all ingredients. Close the lid. Shake it victoriously for about 15 seconds. It’s ready.

Lemony Cashew Alfredo Vermicelles with Shrimp and Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

1 cup Cashew

1/2 Lemon of Juice

1/ 4 cup Parmesan Cheese

2 cups Water

2 cups Shrimp, shelled

1 bundle Swiss Chard, cut into bite size

2 bundles of Rice Vermicelles or pasta

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

Vegetable Oil

Direction:

1. To make the Alfredo sauce, soak the cashews with 2 cups of water until soften; about 6 hours. In a processor, combine cashews, soaked liquid, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; blend until it is smooth.

2. In a pot, heat up 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat. Add garlic and fry until fragrant. Add shrimp; stir fry until it changes colour. Add Swiss chard and fry until it is wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl.

3. Fill the water in the same pot. Add salt. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Add vermicelles and cook until soften according to the package. Drain well.

4. Add the shrimp and Swiss chard mixture back to the pot and mix with the vermicelles.

5. Pour in the Alfredo sauce. Stir until it’s heated through. Serve the vermicelles with more Parmesan if prefer.

4-Step Tomato Beef Barley Soup

Ingredients:

600 gram gram Beef Tenderloin

1 Onion, peeled

4 stalks Celery

3 Carrots, peeled

1 Canned Tomatoes

4 cups Chicken Broth

4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 cup Barley, rinsed

1 tablespoon Rosemary, dried

1 tablespoon Thyme, dried

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Direction:

1. Cut all the vegetables and beef into chunks.

2. In a deep pot, heat up vegetable oil. Add the vegetables and fry them over medium heat until fragrant; about 10 minutes.

3. Add chicken broth, beef, tomatoes, thyme, and rosemary. Boil over medium heat until the beef is tender; about 25 minutes.

4. Stir in barley. Continue to cook until the barley is cooked through and the soup is thicken.

Easy Balsamic Glazed Mushroom and Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups Button Mushrooms

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 tablespoons Water

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Direction:

1. In a large pot, combine all the ingredients. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Continue to boil until the sauce thicken. Perfect to serve it with steamed rice.

Keto Chinese Stir-fried Mushroom and Tofu

INGREDIENTS:

20 Button Mushrooms

1 block Pressed Tofu

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

4 tablespoons Coconut Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Cut mushrooms into slices. Cut press tofu into thin slices. 

2. Heat up coconut oil over high heat. Add tofu and mushroom. Fry for a minute. Drizzle cooking wine, soy sauce and cider vinegar.  Stir well. Turn off the heat. Serve immediately. 

Korean Steamed Eggplant

INGREDIENTS:

2 Eggplants

SAUCE:

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Fish Sauce

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the steamer over high heat. Steam eggplants until they are softened, about 10 minutes. Allow them to cool off.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.

3. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel them into thick slices. Gently mix them with the sauce with hand. Serve immediately.

Keto Chinese Chicken Soup with Soy

INGREDIENTS:

1 Whole Chicken

5 Shanghai Bok Choi

1 LItre Soy Milk, unsweetened

1 canned Chicken Broth

2 teaspoons Salt

Chili Flake (to serve)

DIRECTION:

1. In a large pot, add chicken. Pour in soy milk and chicken broth. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, continue to boil over medium heat for an hour. Skim off the foam on the surface regularly.

2. Add salt to taste. Stir well. Turn off the heat. Remove all the bone before servIng, if prefer. Sprinkle some chili flake for extra flavour. 

Keto Creamy Kale Salad

Not being able to go out much during the pandemic, I’ve certainly gained Some weight. No kidding. So I started the keto diet, hoping to lose some of the extra weight and regain my Body shape. This salad is one of the recipes I enjoyed eating. It’s high fat and super low carb.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 bundle Kale, leaves only

1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds

DRESSING:

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

5 tablespoons Milk

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Pinch of ground black pepper and salt

DIRECTION:

1. Tear the kale leaves into bite size.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Add kale, mix until the kale is coated with the dressing. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds over before serving. 

Wild edible - Stir-fried Wild Onion and Pork Belly

Every year, my family will go to forage wild onion in the early May. They grow among the river like grass, but with distinctive onion and garlicky scent. You can substitute the wild onion for leeks to make this dish.

The look of wild onion


Ingredients:
1 bundle off Wild Onion
250 gram Pork Belly
1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Rice Wine
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 taking Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Direction:

1. Cut the pork belong into 1/2 cm slices. Cut the wild onion into sticks. 

2. Heat up vegetable oil over high heat. Add pork belly. Stir fry until it turns colour; about 2 minutes.

3. Drizzle cooking wine and soy sauce. Add sugar and salt. Stir fry untilThe pork belly is nearly cooked, about 3 minutes.

4. Add wild onion. Continue to fry until it is wilted. Turn off the heat and transfer it to a serving plate. 

Garlicky Wintercress Bud Salad

In early May, the wintercress starts to come out and forms flower buds. The wintercress is very tender at this time of the year. If you want to get rid of the bitterness, blanch it in water for about 3 minutes.

The look of wintercress


Ingredients:
1-2 handfuls Wintercresses
3 Garlic Clove
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Direction:
1. Peel the garlic. Chop it into fine pieces.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add wintercresses. Boil until they are soften; about 2-3 minutes.  Drain and transfer them onto the serving plate.

3. Top the chopped garlic on the wintercresses.

4. Heat up the vegetable oil. Drizzle over the garlic to make it fragrant.

Baby Spinach and Pear Salad | 菠菜香梨沙律

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Baby Spinach

1 Asian Pear

1/4 cup Walnuts, roasted

Drizzle of Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup (or honey)

Sea Salt to taste

材料：

2 杯  菠菜苗

1 個  啤梨

1/4 杯  合核，烤過

適量  橄欖油

1 湯匙  龍舌蘭蜜 (或蜜糖)

少撮  海鹽

DIRECTION 做法：

1. All all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss to combine and serve it immediately.

1. 在一只大碗內下所有材料。輕輕拌勻便可食用。

Creamy Garlic Vegetable Dip | 蒜香美乃滋沾醬

INGREDIENTS:

6 tablespoons Mayonnaise, low fat

1 head Garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 cup Milk, 2%

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon Oregano, dried

 sprinkle of Sea Salt

材料：

6 湯匙  美乃滋，低脂

1 頭  蒜頭，去皮，磨蓉

1/4 杯  牛奶，2%

1 湯匙  芥末醬

1 茶匙  奧勒崗，乾燥

少撮  海鹽

DIRECTION 做法:

1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and well combined.  Chill it before serving.

1. 把所有材料攪勻至幼滑。雪凍後才享用。

Blueberry Yogurt Pancake 藍莓乳酪班㦸

INGREDIENTS:

(make about 10 -15 pancakes)

5 Eggs

1 cup Milk

1 cube Yogurt (I used strawberry, but vanilla or plain is fine)

2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract

1/2 cup Butter, melted

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

20 Blueberries, flesh

2 cups Flour

DIRECTION:

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add in milk, yogurt, vanilla, and melted butter; mix again.

2. Add baking powder and flour. Gently mix until it becomes batter. Do not over mix it; otherwise the pancakes come out too hard.

3. Add the blueberries. Gently mix it again. Leave the batter for about 10 minutes.

4. Heat up a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a few spoonfuls of the batter. Let it cook until there are some bubbles forming on the surface. Flip the pancake over and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer it to a plate. Repeat the process until the batter finished. Serve the pancake with the syrup or jams of your choice.

*Since we add the butter to the batter, there is no need to add extra butter when cooking the pancakes. As long as you heat up the pan before adding the batter, the pancakes won't stick to the pan. 

Stuffed Tofu Puff with Minced Fish 魚肉釀豆腐

INGREDIENTS:

100 gram Minced Fish

15 Tofu Puff

SAUCE:

4 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Sugar

1.5 teaspoons Cornstarch

1/3 cup Water

The look of minced fish. You can purchase it at Asian market.

The look of tofu puff.

DIRECTION:

1. Cut each tofu puff in half with scissor.

2. Using a finger, carefully make a hold in the middle of it.

3. Fill the hole with a portion of minced fish.

4. Repeat the process until you finish the minced fish and tofu puffs.

5. Add about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Place the tofu puff in the pan with minced fish facing downward. Let them fry for about 5-7 minutes.

6. Flip the tofu puffs onto the other side. Fry for another 5 minutes. Transfer them onto a serving plate.

7. Mix the sauce ingredients. Add the mixture in the same pan. Cook over high heat until it thickens to your liking; stirring constantly. Pour it over the tofu puffs.

Chinese Stir fried Potato 快炒土豆絲

This stir fry potato should taste crunchy and acidic. It can be a side dish or appetizer. I found it taste better when it is cold.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Waxy Potatoes

1/3 teaspoon Salt

2 tablespoon Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Peel the potatoes. Cut them into thin sticks and submerge them in the cold water. Rinse off the starch and drain.

2. Heat up vegetable oil over high heat. Add potato sticks. Quickly stir fry for about 5 minutes.

3. Add salt, sugar and vinegar. Stir fry until the vinegar is evaporated. Transfer the potato to the serving plate.

This dish is also delicious when it is cold. 

Three Steps Vegan Pulled Pork

INGREDIENTS:

4 King Mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

3 tablespoons Barbecue Sauce of your choice

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Shred the mushrooms with a folk.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.

3. Pour the mixture evenly on a roasting pan. Roast it at 220F for 20 minutes.