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.

Baked Crispy White Fish with lemon and Parsley

INGREDIENTS:

3 pcs White Fish Fillets

3 cups Cornflakes, no sugar coating

1/2 cup Parsley, finely chopped

1 Lemon of zest

1/2 Lemon of Juice

1/3 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Vegetable Oil

SAUCE: 

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Ketchup

1 teaspoon White Vinegar (optional)

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

2. Crush cornflakes into fine pieces.  Mix them with parsley lemony zest, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, white pepper and salt together.  The mixture should be gluey.

3. Pat dry the fish and cut it into strips.

4. Coat the fish with a fair amount of the cornflake mixture.  Slightly use both palms to tighten it.  Lay the fish on a baking tray that lined with parchment paper.  Repeat this process to finish all the fish.

5. Bake it for about 25 minutes or until the it is golden and crispy. 

Shredded Potato Warm Salad

INGREDIENTS:

2 Potatoes (any waxy types will do)

4 stalks Celery

1 Carrot

SEASONING:

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

pinch of White Pepper

1 teaspoon White Sesame

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Peel the potatoes; cut them into sticks. Rinse them under running water to get rid of the starch.

2. Cut carrot and celery into sticks.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add potato; blanch it for 5 minutes. Scoop it out and run it under the tap water to stop the cooking process.

4. Next, blanch the carrot and celery for 5 minutes. Drain well. Run the carrot and celery under running water to stop the cooking process.

5. In a large mixing bowl, add potato, carrot, and celery. Add the seasoning; mix well. Let it marinate for 10 minutes before serving.

Marinated Young Cabbage with Fermented Soybean Sauce 黃豆醬伴白菜

The look of soybean paste

INGREDIENTS:

2 Young Cabbage

1 heap spoon Chinese Fermented Bean Sauce

1 tablespoon White Sesame Seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Cut off the end of the cabbage and loosen the leaves.  Soak and rinse the cabbage in water until clean; drain.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add about 1.5 tablespoons salt.  Add cabbage.  Blanch until it is slightly soft; about 20-30 seconds.  Quickly remove cabbage from the hot water and plunge it into cold water to stop the cooking process.  Gently squeeze out the water from the cabbage and set it in a mixing bowl.

3. In the mixing bowl, add fermented bean sauce, sesame seeds and sesame oil.  Toss it gently with hand until well coated.  Serve it steamed rice.

One-Pot Palm Sugar Glazed Chicken Wings 椰糖雞翼

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Whole Chicken Wings

30 gram Palm Sugar

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1/3 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

3 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1/4 cup Water

3 tablespoons vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Cut the whole chicken into segments.

2. Heat up vegetable oil over high heat. Add chicken wings; stir fry until they turn colour, about 10 minutes.

3. Drizzle over cooking wine and allow it to evaporate. Add the rest of the ingredients; stir well. Put the lid on, continue to cook until the chicken wings are cooked through and the sauce thickens.

Steamed Pork Neck with Preserved Mustard on Tofu | 梅菜蒸豬頸肉豆腐

Other than pig feet, pork neck is my favourite. It has enough chew on yet is tender and juicy. It is the best part of a pig, if you ask me.

In this dish, the tofu on the bottom will absorb the sweet and savoury marinade and form its own seasoning. Which makes the tofu tastes irresistible as the pork atop. One thing to note is that the preserved mustard green is always very sandy and salty, so soaking it in water for twenty minutes is necessary, to get rid of the sand between leaves and the overly saltiness.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 block Soft Tofu, drained

2 stalks Preserved Mustard Green

200 gram Pork Neck

MARINADE:

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Ground White Pepper

DIRECTION:

1. Soak the preserved mustard green in cold water for 20 minutes. Rinse off the sand and squeeze out the water. Cut it into small pieces.

2. Slice the pork neck into 1/2 cm pieces.

3. In a mixing bowl, add pork neck, mustard green, and the marinade; mix well and leave it marinate for about 20 minutes.

4. In a plate, lay the tofu. Top it with the pork neck mixture.  Cover the plate with a piece of foil. Steam it in a pre-heated steamer for about 20 minutes over high heat. Serve it with steamed rice. 

Coconut and Lime Seafood Soup

Coconut and lime is a good pair, both in sweet or savoury. This soup is a very quick meal since the seafood takes very little time to cook through. If you like spicy, just add more chilli. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Coconut Milk (Not coconut cream)

1 cup Chicken Stock

4 cups Water

1 dozen Mussels (I used frozen)

2 dozen Prawns

2 pieces Cod Fish (I used frozen), cut into big chunks

10 Button Mushrooms, sliced

1 small Onion, sliced

1 Lime

1 Red Chili, cut into small arounds (optional)

1 handful Cilantro, rinsed

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. In a soup pot, combine coconut milk, chicken stock and water.  Bring it to a boil over high heat.

2. Add mushrooms and onion.  Let it to boil for 10 minutes for the flavour to develop into the soup base.

3. According to the order follow, add mussels, cod fish, and prawns.  Let the soup comes to the boil again.  Then, add cilantro and squeeze the lime juice in.  Add chili if you are using.  Season the soup with salt to taste.  Remove the soup from the heat immediately and serve.

Pineapple Beef on rice 菠蘿炒牛肉

This is a very common dish in Hong Kong where you can easily find it in 'Cha Chaan Teng'.  Making it at home is also very simple and straightforward.  If you want to pull out a quick but healthy meal for the family during the week, it is a wonderful dish.  I'd say it's a children's favourite.

However, the enzyme in pineapple break down the protein in meat very quickly, so try to serve right after cooking.  Otherwise, the meat is going to be mushy.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pineapple, ripened (you can use canned pineapple)

1 piece of Steak

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 tablespoon Sugar

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Steamed Rice (for serving)

Check out here to see how to cook rice in a pot

MARINADE:

1 Egg

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1/3 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

1 tablespoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch

1/3 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. Slice the beef into about 1/2 cm thick pieces.  Add them in a mixing bowl.  Combine them with the marinade.  With hand, mix it gently until the liquid is absorbed by the meat.  Set aside and allow it to marinate for about 20 minutes.

2. Cut off both ends of the pineapple.  Stand it up.  Cut the skin off from top to bottom along the curve of the pineapple.  Cut off and discard the hard core.  Then, cut the pineapple into bite size.  (You don't want the pineapple to be too small because it will produce too much liquid during cooking).  Set the pineapple aside.

3. Heat up the oil in a large pan over high heat.  Add the beef.  Stir fry until the beef starts to turn colour; about 2-3 minutes.  Add rice wine and sugar.  Stir fry for another minute.

4. Add the pineapple.  Quickly stir fry until the beef is medium-rare and the pineapple is heated through.  Transfer the mixture to the serving plate and serve it with steamed rice.

   

慢煮蒟蒻 Slow Cooked Konnyaku in Soy

INGREDIENTS:
2 pcs Konnyaku (Konjac)
15 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Sugar
3 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine
1 cup Water

DIRECTION:

1. With a spoon, cut the konnyaku into bite size.  Cut the mushrooms into thick pieces.

2. Set a small pot of water to a boil.  Add the konnyaku bits and boil them for 5 minutes over high heat; drain.

3. In the same pot, add seasoning and konnyaku; mix well.  Let it cook over low heat until the sauce is thicken and it is ready.  It can be store in the fridge up to a week.

Easy Steamed Egg and Tofu 香滑豆腐蒸水蛋

INGREDIENTS:

5 Eggs

1/4 cup Water

Salt

Soy Sauce (to serve)

DIRECTION:

Mapo Dofu (Tofu) 麻婆豆腐

INGREDIENTS:

2 blocks Tofu

1.5 lbs Ground Pork

3 heap tablespoons Soy Bean Paste

4 tablespoons Water

2/3 teaspoon Salt

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Corn Starch

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Green Onion (if prefer)

DIRECTION:

Weekday Sausage and Vegetable Soup 週日肉腸菜湯

INGREDIENTS:

1 bundle Swiss chard

3 Carrots

1/3 Celery

1 canned Chickpea

1 Onion

3-4 Sausage of your favourite

1.5 litre Chicken Broth

1.5 litre Water

1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Thigh (using black bean pulp)

When making soy milk, there is always some side product - soy pulp.  This pulp not only has a high amount of protein fibre, it is also delicious.  You can use it to make meat balls, cookies, and also replace bread crumbs.

Two days ago I got lots of black bean pulp after making soy milk.  So I mixed the pulp with some seasoning and used it as bread crumbs.  The result is crispy and delicious.  If you want a change for the use of bread crumbs, try to think of this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Chicken Thighs, skin-on

1 Egg, beaten

2-3 tablespoons Cornstarch

Vegetable Oil

MARINADE:

2 tablespoons Cumin, ground

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

1/3 teaspoon Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

BLACK BEAN PULP SEASONING:

1.5 cups Black Bean Pulp

1/3 teaspoon Salt

1/3 teaspoon Paprika

1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground

1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

DIRECTION:

1. Rinse the chicken thighs; pat dry.  Combine the chicken with the marinade; mix well.  Leave it to marinate for 30 minutes.

2. In the mean time, add all the black bean pulp seasoning ingredients in a pan.  Slowly toast the ingredients over medium-low heat until the mixture is dry.  The pulp may initially stick to the pan; scape it with a spatula if needed.  Allow the pulp to cool.

3. Coat each chicken thigh with a thin layer of cornstarch.  Then coat it with the bean egg.  Last, coat it with the toasted bean pulp.  Gently lay the chicken on parchment paper on a roasting pan.

4. Roast the chicken in the pre-heat oven at 360F for 25 minutes, or until the chicken thighs cooked through.

Pork Ribs in Fresh Tomato Sauce 洋蔥蕃茄炒豬腓骨

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 Onion, peeled and sliced

10 pcs Pork Ribs, about 2-3 inches long

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

2 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Cornstarch

MARINADE:

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1/2 teaspoon White pepper Powder

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Rinse the ribs; pat dry.  Mix them with the marinade and leave them for 30 minutes.

2. In a large pan, heat up oil over high heat.  Add the ribs and stir fry until they are half cooked; about 10 minutes.

3. Drizzle over the cooking wine.  Then, add tomatoes and onion.  Continuously stir fry until the pork is cooked through and the tomatoes become soft; about 5 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with a few spoons of the tomato sauce in the pot; stir well.  Slowly stir the cornstarch mixture into the pot.  When the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and transfer the pork onto the serving plate.  Serve it with steamed rice.

Stir fried Chrysanthemums Leave with Garlic

INGREDIENTS:

2 bundles Chrysanthemum Leaves

6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/2 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a large pan, heat up oil over high heat.  Add garlic cloves and fry until they are fragrant.

2. Add chrysanthemums; stir fry until the leaves start to wilt.  Add cooking wine and sugar.  Continue to cook for another minute.  Quickly transfer the chrysanthemums to the serving plate.

Korean Seasoned Oyster

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen Fresh Oysters (I used Korean frozen oysters)

2 stalks Green onion, cut into 5 cm long

MARINADE:

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Korean Red Chilli Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil, toasted

DIRECTION:

1. Thaw the frozen oysters in room temperature.  Carefully clean off the dirt and sand around the black edges; rinse and drain them well.  Place them in a mixing bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mix all marinade ingredients together.

3. Combine oysters, marinade, and green onion in the mixing bowl.  With a wooden spoon, gently mix the oysters until each of the oysters is coated with sauce.  Serve cold.

Korean Steamed Eggplant

INGREDIENTS:

2 Asian Eggplants

SAUCE:

2 stalks Green onion, finely slices

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons Sesame Seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Korean Red Chilli Flakes

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground

DIRECTION:

1. Set up a steamer to high heat.  

2. Cut both ends off the eggplants.  Cut the eggplants lengthwise and then cut it into about 7 cm pieces. Place the eggplants in the steamer and steam for about 6-7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients together.  When the eggplants are ready, spoon the sauce evenly over the eggplants to serve.

Prawn Salad

INGREDIENTS:

12 Prawns, shelled and deveined

1 Carrot, cut into sticks

1/3 Small Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup Parsley, leaves only

1/4 cup Pecan, roasted

2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Sunflower Seed Oil

Pepper and Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Add prawns; cook until the prawns are curly and change colour.  Drain the prawns.  Plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process.  Set them aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and the prawns.  Gently toss it until even.  Serve immediately.

Egg n Tofu Pretend "Sushi" 純素蛋皮豆腐"壽司"

INGREDIENTS:

4 Eggs

1 block Tofu, medium soft

1 Carrot, finely diced

3 Scallion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons Japanese Mirin (or 1/3 teaspoon Sugar)

1 teaspoon Chinese Cooking Wine

1/3 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, carrot, scallion, mirin, cooking wine, white pepper, and salt.

2. Tofu pat dry and cut it in cubes.

3. Heat up some vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Add a spoonful of egg mixture in the pan.  Place a piece of tofu on top and gently press the tofu down with your finger.  Then, add another spoon of egg mixture on top. Allow the egg to fry until firm.

4. Flip the tofu over to fry the other side until it is golden brown.  Then transfer it to a plate.  Repeat this process until all the tofu and egg mixture is finished.  Serve when they are hot.

Braised Bitter Melon with Black Bean and Garlic 豉蒜炒涼瓜

I would say this is a staple dish I constantly have in the fridge.  I usually cook a large portion, enough to last for the week's lunch and dinner.  It is a dish I can eat everyday.  Whenever I reheat this at work, the fragrance of the black bean sauce makes my colleagues' and my mouth water.  So last week, I made some for them to share.  The bitter melon lovers loved them, but the others, who didn't like bitter food, didn't like these melons unfortunately.

The seeds are edible so you do not need to remove them.  Actually after the stir-fry process, the seeds feel rather crunchy and taste really good.  Sometimes I find the seeds taste even better than the melons themselves.

The preserved black beans can be found in most Asian stores.  They need to be rinsed a few times to get rid of the extra salt or grit before use.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Chinese Bitter Melon

3 tablespoons Chinese Preserved Black Bean, rinsed

1 head of Garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Wine

2 tablespoons Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Combine garlic and black beans on a cutting board. Chop them until fine.  Add the bean mixture and the oil in the pan; fry it over low heat until fragrant.  It is about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cut the melons lengthwise and then cut it into about 1 cm slices.  Leave out the seeds if prefered.

3. Turn up the heat to the highest.  Add the melons in the pan and fry until they are bright green; about 10 minutes.  Add cooking wine and allow it to evaporate.

4. Add about 1/3 cup water, sugar and salt. Cover the lid, cook the melons on medium for about 10 minutes and the sauce has thickened.  Best served with steamed rice.