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. 

Pan fried Chicken in Alfredo Mushroom Sauce | 白汁磨菇雞排意粉

Pan fried Chicken in Alfredo Mushroom Sauce白汁磨菇雞排意粉

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Legs or breasts

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper, ground

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

Spaghetti

Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce:

10 Mushrooms

1/3 cup Green Peas

2 Carrots

1 White Onion, small

1/4 cup Butter

2 tablespoons All Purpose Flour

2 cups Milk, Homogenized

1/2 cup Water

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. 30 minutes prior to the cooking, combine chicken, soy sauce, white pepper, Chinese wine in a mixing bowl and mix well.  Allow it to marinate for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Dice the carrot, rinse the peas, and cut the onion into thick slices.

3. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices.

4. In a pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add carrot and onion.  Cook the vegetables until they becomes soft; about 5 minutes.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add flour. 

6. Vigorously stir until the flour is well mixed.

7. Stir in milk and water.

8. Add pea and mushrooms.  Turn the heat back to medium and continuously cook until the mixture heat through and the mushrooms become soft; stirring constantly.

9. Season with Salt.  Remove it from the it.

10. Heat up two tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add chicken, skin sides down.  Fry them for about 8 minutes and the skins turn slightly brown.

11. Turn the chicken on the other side.  Fry them for another 5 minutes.  Remove them from the heat.

12. At the meantime, cook the spaghetti according to the instruction on the package.  Drain well.

13. Pour the sauce onto the spaghetti and serve it with the chicken.

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

Wild Garlic and King Mushroom Stir fried

A few year ago, my family and I went for a hike and accidentally found a large patch of wild garlic. Although I call them wild garlic, they are not the type of wild garlic that with a single glossy board leaf. But they smell and taste just exactly like garlic. It was the distinct smell that had me found them back then. I believe the ones I discovered are actually domestic garlic. But somehow they grow and spread in the wild. So now, we come to pick these delicious wild garlic as our annual spring activity.

Treating these wild garlic as garlic shoots you can purchase at supermarket, you can stir fry and make soup with them.

INGREDIENTS:

2 handfuls Wild Garlic

4 King Mushrooms

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Cut the wild garlic into about 4 cm long; cut king mushrooms into small chunks.

2. Heat up oil over high heat. Add mushrooms and stir fry for 3 minutes.

3. Add wild garlic. Stir fry for about a minute.  Drizzle over the cooking wine. Add salt and sugar. Stir well. Turn off the heat.

[Eng Sub] 忌廉磨菇意大利肉腸湯 Creamy Mushroom Italian Sausage Soup

INGREDIENTS:

20 White Mushrooms

20 Brown Mushrooms

20 Shiitake Mushrooms, fresh

1 dozen Italian Sausages (I used honey garlic flavour)

1 cup Dry White Wine

1 cup Chicken Broth

2 cups Milk

3 cups Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

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.

Soft Tofu with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce 素蠔油花菇配嫩豆腐

A simple yet delicious shiitake mushroom topping that can be paired with a block of silken tofu or steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS:

8 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 block Soft Tofu

1.5 inch long Ginger, peeled and finely chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 Stalk Green Onion (optional), thinly cut

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

SEASONING:

2 Tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

2 tablespoons Vegan Oyster Sauce

1 teaspoon Corn Starch

1/3 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

2 tablespoons Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

材料：

8 隻  鮮冬菇，切粒

1 磚  嫩豆腐

1.5 吋長  薑，去皮，切幼粒

4 瓣  蒜頭，去皮，切幼粒

1 棵  蔥 (隨意)，切幼粒

2 湯匙  菜油

調味料：

2 湯匙  米酒

2 湯匙  素蠔油

1 茶匙  粟粉

1/3 茶匙  白胡椒粉

2 湯匙  糖

1/3 茶匙  鹽

DIRECTION 做法：

1. Heat up vegetable oil over medium heat.  Add ginger and garlic; fry until fragrant and the garlic turns slightly brown.

2. Add mushrooms; stir fry for about 5 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix the seasoning together. Stir it into the mushrooms; continuously stir fry until the liquid is nearly absorbed and the sauce has thickened.  Pour the mushroom over the tofu.  Sprinkle the green onion and serve immediately.

1. 菜油用中燒熱。下薑和蒜粒，煮至香氣四溢和蒜粒轉微黃色。

2. 下冬菇；炒若沒有分鐘。

3. 在一只小碗中加入所有調味料；拌勻然後倒入鍋中。繼續炒冬菇直至汁半收乾。關火；把冬菇放到豆腐上。

It is also very delicious to put on rice.

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Sausage

Although spaghetti squash has the word "spaghetti" in its name, its texture is nothing spaghetti like.  Instead, the texture is rather like grated carrot.  The first time when I cooked it, I was so hoping it would taste like spaghetti in someway.  However, neither the texture or flavour.  I was quite disappointed.

Years later when I tried this squash again, I told myself to consider it as a squash and it will certainly taste like one.  Then, I focused on the roasting part to make it rather crunchy and not something called "al dente".  The flavour starts to make sense in this delicate squash. I hope this experience will give you some inspiration to create your own healthy plate of spaghetti squash.

The longer the squash is roasted, the softer the texture will become.  My family and I like it more crunchy so I roast the squash for 20 to 25 minutes.

The seeds in the squash are edible.  I generally like to roast them along with the squash and then add them back to the dish.  It may sound unusual for some, but I like the extra crunch and nutty flavour they bring.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Spaghetti Squash

5 Italian Sausages, cut into bite size

10 White Button Mushrooms, slices

1 sprig Sage, fresh

1/2 head Garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1.5 cups Milk

2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour

Black Pepper and Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds.  Sprinkle the squash with salt.  Place them on a roasting pan with cut side up.  Roast them until the tops start to turn golden brown; about 25 minutes.  If you are using the seeds, wash the seeds and place them on the roasting pan around the squash when roasting.

2. Once the squash is ready and cool enough to handle, with a fork, remove the strands of squash from the skin.  Set aside.

3. To cook the sauce, heat up about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and sage; fry until fragrant.  Add sausages; continuously fry until they are nearly cooked.

4. Add mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Dust the flour evenly over the pan.  Slowly add in the milk; stirring constantly.  The mushrooms will release water, so the sauce will initially look thin.  Continue to cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt to taste.  Remove the sauce from the heat.

5. Ladle some sauce over the spaghetti squash and serve.  

Konnyaku and Enoki Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing | 蒟蒻金菇湯律味噌汁

Konnyaku is made of konjac, a type of yam that is high in dietary fibre with nearly zero cholesterol.  Konnyaku has little taste and it has a jiggly texture like jello.  You can usually see konnyaku in white or grey colour like the one in the photo below.  The white one is the original flavour and the grey one is added with seaweed.  My family found the seaweed version more delicious so I usually just buy the grey one.

Enoki mushrooms taste sweet when eaten raw; it pairs so well with the umami flavour of the miso dressing.  This miso dressing can go well with many leafy greens so please feel free to substitute the rest of the ingredients for other vegetables on hand.

INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

1 pack Konnyaku

2 packs Enoki Mushrooms

2 Heirloom Carrots, peeled, cut into sticks

8 Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 Green Lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite size

2 Mini Cucumber, cut into bite size

1 bunch Coriander, leaves only, roughly chopped

DRESSING:

3 tablespoon White Sesame, toasted and slightly ground

2 tablespoons Miso Paste

2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Sugar

材料：4人份

1 塊  蒟蒻

2 束  金菇

2 條  蘿蔔，去皮，切條

8 粒  車厘茄

1/2 棵  生菜，洗淨，撕成小塊

2 條  小黃瓜，切大粒

1 束  莞茜，葉部份，切碎

汁料：

3 湯匙  白芝麻，烤香，磨碎

2 湯匙  味噌

2 湯匙  米醋

1 湯匙  芝麻油

1 湯匙  糖

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a small pot of water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil.  Add konnyaku and boil it for 2 minutes; drain well.  Cut the konnyaku into bite size; set them aside.

2. Cut off and discard the root of the enoki mushrooms.  Cut the enoki mushrooms in half.

3. In a mixing bowl, add all salad ingredients and toss them to combine.

4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until it is smooth.  Drizzle it over the salad green before serving it.

做法：

1. 燒熱一小鍋水和一茶匙鹽。下蒟蒻，煮若2分鐘；取出，切成小粒，備用。

2. 切去金菇底部；把金菇切成兩半。

3. 在一只大碗內，加入所有沙律材料；拌勻。

4. 在另一只小碗內，加入所有沙律汁材料；拌至幼滑。淋上沙律食用。

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。

Cold Mushroom Cream Cheese Dip ｜蘑菇忌廉芝士沾醬

This long weekend my son was at my in-law's, so my husband and I got some of our own time together.  Since it was a rainy day, we decided to go to St. Lawrence Market to look for some fresh local vegetables and to stay dry.

Honestly, my husband is not the guy who enjoys looking at vegetables, so he suggested to find something to eat right after we entered the market.  It was bustling and filled with people's chatters and laughs, just like any Sunday markets.  My heart lifted, I felt alive.

There were a few seafood shops right beside the entrances, but one of the shops in particular offered dine-in service.  It brought out our excitement.  We have oysters once in a while, but we usually brought them home and shucked them ourselves, because that way was cheaper and more comfortable anyways.  It'd been a long time since we sat at the restaurant and enjoyed well prepared oysters that I didn't need to scrub and shuck.  We like creamy oysters so we ordered European flats and Blue point oysters, plus some seasonal clams.  Our mouths started to water.

Other than the variety of fresh seafood, they also had a pretty complete section of condiments for oysters and clams - rose vinaigrette, mignonette, cocktail sauce, Japanese soy sauce, and lemon wadges.  My husband and I tried each on the clams and we both agreed that the best condiment is just a few drop of fresh lemon juice.  They were good, but not as fresh as we expected.  And they were quite sandy around the edges.  Apparently the staff didn't scrub the clams and oysters well before shucking them.  We were a bit disappointed.  

After we finished the whole tray of seafood, we actually felt like more oysters.  The good quality oysters.  So we decided to drive to Diana's Seafood across town where we could always buy the best oysters.  I was hoping to get a case of sixty, but my husband insisted on just buying the fifteen for the two of us because we would have no way to finish them.  But I recalled last time when we bought the oysters, I ate nearly thirty just by myself.  I am not kidding.  I am truly an oyster craver and I have a very strong stomach for that.  We ended up settling on thirty of the European flats.  I carefully scrubbed them under running water with a toothbrush as always.  They tasted much creamier and fresher than the ones we had this morning, and they were sand free!

I learned how to shuck oysters long ago when I was working at a fine dining restaurant.  I used to be able to do it so fast, but now my skill was rusty.  And, I started to enjoy just sitting and eatting the shucked oysters rather than serving them.  I showed my husband how to do it.  He succeeded in one take, which took me nearly ten attempts back then.  He showed me a winner's smile and took the shucking knife from my hand.  I was delighted.  I immediately pulled the bowl of lemon wedges closer to myself and got ready to be served.  My husband patiently took on the role until all the oysters were down into our tummies.  For a man who rarely set foot in the kitchen, he was very sweet.

I also prepared this mushroom dip for our Entree.  You can use white mushrooms instead of the brown ones, but I like the contrasting colours on the dip.  Wrap it tightly, and it can keep well for at least 4 days.

INGREDIENTS:

7-9 Brown Button Mushrooms, rinsed

1 pack Cream Cheese, 250 gram

1/3 cup Coriander, leaves only, roughly chopped, squeeze out all the juice

1/2 Lemon of Juice

1/3 teaspoon Sea Salt

材料：

7-9 顆  蘑菇

1 盒  忌廉芝士，250克

1/3 杯  莞茜，葉部份，切碎，搾乾多餘水份

1/2 個 檸檬

1/3 茶匙  海鹽

DIRECTION 做法:

1. Roughly chop the mushrooms and place them in a bowl.  Add sea salt and lemon juice and mix well; leave them for about 10 minutes.  Squeeze out all the excess juice.

1. 蘑菇切碎，加入大碗內。下海鹽和搾入檸檬汁；拌勻。靜置10分鐘；搾乾水份。

2. In a clean bowl, combine the chopped mushroom, chopped coriander, and cream cheese.  With a spatula, mix everything until well combined.

2. 下莞茜和忌廉芝士；用力拌勻便成。

3. Serve it with tortilla chips or crackers.  This mushroom dip can be kept in the fridge up to four days.

3. 配以墨西哥玉米片或梳打餅食用。封好，可處存在雪櫃內若4天。

Stir-fried Beef and Enoki Mushroom | 金菇炒牛肉

This stir-fried beef and enoki is a quick and simple recipe.  Except the marinade time, it takes only 10 minutes to cook.  You can always marinade the beef ahead and store it in the fridge and cook it the next day when you come back from work.

Note that I used light soy sauce to marinade the beef instead of salt here.  Salt makes the beef become tough after the marination.

Hope you enjoy this recipe.

Stir-fried Beef and Enoki Mushroom

金菇炒牛肉

INGREDIENTS:

300 gram Beef

2 packs Enoki Mushrooms, divided into small portions

2 Garlic Cloves, peels

4 tablespoons Oyster Sauce

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for frying)

1 tablespoon Cornstarch + 1/4 cup Water

材料：

300 克  牛肉

2 包  金菇，分成小撮

2 瓣  蒜頭，去皮

4 湯匙  蠔油

3 湯匙  菜油

1 湯匙 粟粉 ＋1/4 杯水

MARINADE:

4 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine

1 teaspoon Cornstarch

1 tablespoon Sugar

醃料：

4 湯匙  豉油

2 湯匙  米酒

1 茶匙  粟粉

1 湯匙  糖

DIRECTION 做法:

1. Slice the beef into 1/2 cm thick pieces.

1. 牛肉切成1/2cm 厚片。

2. In a mixing bowl, add beef and marinade; mix well.  Let it stand for 20 minutes.

2. 在一只碗內，加入牛肉片和醃料；拌勻。醃約20分鐘。

3. Add vegetable oil and garlic in a pan.  Heat it up over high heat until the garlic is fragrant and turns slightly brown.

3. 在鑊內下油和蒜頭；用大火爆香。

4. Add beef slices.  Quickly stir fry them until they start to turn colour.

4. 下牛肉片；快炒至其開始變色。

5. Add enoki mushroom and oyster sauce and stir fry for about 30 seconds, or until the enoki starts to wilt.

5. 下金菇和蠔油；快炒約30秒，或至金針開始變軟。

6. Stir in the cornstarch water. 

6. 下粟粉水。

7. Continuously stir fry until the enoki is just soft to touch.  Turn off the heat and transfer the beef and enoki to a serving plate immediately.

7. 繼續炒至金針軟身；離火，上碟。

If the sauce is not thicken enough at this point, transfer the beef and enoki to the serving plate first, and then continue to cook the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency.

如汁不夠濃稠，可先把牛肉和金針排盤，再把汁繼續煮至稠身然後淋上面。

8. Delicious to serve with rice or noodles.

8. 配白飯和淨麵一流。

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