Tofu Miso Soup ｜豆腐味噌湯

INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

5 tablespoons Red Miso Paste

5 cups Water

1 block Silken Tofu

1/3 White Onion, thinly sliced

4 stalks Baby Shanghai Bok Choy, quartered

2 stalks Green Onion, cut into small rounds

材料：4人份

5 湯匙  紅味噌

5 杯 水

1 磚  滑豆腐

1/3 個  白洋蔥，切幼絲

2 條  青蔥，切粒

4 棵  上海白菜苗，切4份

DIRECTION：

1. Bring the water to a boil.  Slowly stir in the miso paste until it is totally incorporated.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the soup.  Bring it back to a boil and until the bok choy is thoroughly cooked.  Serve immediately.

做法：

1. 燒熱5杯水，慢慢拌入味噌。

2. 加入所有剩餘材料，把湯再燒至翻滾，或至白菜熟透。上桌。

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.

Simplest Crunchy Pan-fried Sardine

Fried fish is one of the simplest but the most satisfying recipes I love to have over a bowl of hot rice.  The lemony juice is optional, but it brings tremendous difference in the flavour of sardines.  I enjoy these little fishes with bones, fins and tails everything except the head part.  What about you?

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Sardine (I used frozen)

1-2 teaspoons Cornstarch

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/3 Lemon

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the sardines, slit open the belly with a knife and remove the guts.  Remove the gills and descale the sardines.  Rinse them well under running water and then pat them dry with paper towel.  If you are using frozen ones, let them thaw at room temperature until they become soft again before cleaning them.

2. In a non-stick frying pan, add vegetable oil.  Heat it up over medium heat.  Meanwhile, coat each sardine with a thin layer of cornstarch.  When the oil is ready, carefully lay them into the pan.  Fry until they are crispy and slightly brown; about 5 minutes.  Flip the sardines onto the other side; fry for another 5 minutes.  Remove them from the heat.

3. To serve, squeeze the lemon juice over sardines before eating.