Tummy Juice

Braised Pork-Stuffed Deep Fried Tofu

2010-04-30T22:47:00.003-06:00

Tofu...the word usually drums up thoughts of blandness and veggie burgers. In fact, in my household, tofu is something I usually have a hard time convincing my husband to eat. I love it - so many of my favorite Chinese dishes are made with tofu - Ma Po Tofu for example - the classic spicy silken tofu and ground pork is well loved by Chinese people and one of my favorites. Unfortunately, trying to convince my husband is another matter. But lo and behold, this dish of braised pork-stuffed deep fried tofu is one that he loves!

Like many things, I truly believe that people who don't like tofu probably just haven't had it cooked in a way that they enjoy. I for one, am not a fan of tofu veggie burgers, or meat substitutes made with tofu. I personally do not understand why a vegetarian would want something to taste like meat if they're vegetarian so I don't like tofu being turned into substitutes for meat. This isn't to say I'm against vegetarians or eating vegetarian, but then let's eat tofu the way it's meant to be eaten! As tofu!

Tofu is a wonderful base to carry flavours - mostly because it is indeed bland by itself. It is a product made of soy beans that have been pressed into blocks. There are many many different types of tofu and if you go to an Asian store like T&T, you will find a whole fridge section dedicated just to tofu. You can usually find tofu in a variety of firmness - silken or soft tofu, medium/regular tofu, firm tofu. You can also find dessert tofu - a silken tofu flavoured with almonds, mango or just sugar and even tofu flavoured with Chinese five spice and other savoury types which usually come firm so you can slice and stir fry. I love using silken tofu for soups and regular tofu for dishes like Ma Po Tofu (the slightly firmer texture makes it easier to stir fry). But the problem I have with my husband, is not even necessarily the taste of tofu, but the texture. He doesn't like the soft, slippery texture of silken or regular tofu. So how am I to get him to eat an ingredient I love to use in Chinese cooking?

Enter deep fried tofu. You can easily find this at all Asian stores and even Superstore (deli section by the noodles and other types of tofu). Literally, this is just tofu that has been deep fried. The outside is a nice golden color and the inside is airy (sometimes I call them tofu puffs). The nice thing about deep fried tofu is that the outside doesn't have that slippery tofu texture my husband dislikes so much and since the inside is fairly hollow, it is just ripe for stuffing something I know my husband WILL like - savoury, rich ground pork. Like a pork meatball inside a deep fried tofu skin. The braising method gets the pork nice and succulent and the tofu just picks up all that porky yummy-ness (yes I said porky yummy-ness). Can't even tell you're eating tofu! I made this for dinner tonight and my husband helped himself to many seconds. :)

I usually like to braise the stuffed tofu with napa cabbage, wood ear and Chinese mushrooms together which just adds an earthy richness. If you have a clay pot, this is the perfect dish to braise using a clay pot (essentially making this into a type of hot pot). But if not, just your wok, skillet or some sort of pot will be just fine. Enjoy this dish, I promise if you don't eat tofu, this is one tofu dish that you will eat!

BRAISED PORK-STUFFED DEEP FRIED TOFU

Ingredients:

1 package of deep-fried tofu, cut in half and make a hole inside each tofu half (to stuff pork into)
1 lb ground pork
1 stalk green onion, diced
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
3 Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and chopped for the pork mixture + 5 Chinese mushrooms, reconstituted and sliced to braise with the tofu
3-4 whole wood ear mushrooms, sliced into large pieces
3-4 napa cabbage leaves, chopped into approximately 1-2 inch pieces

Seasonings:

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp white pepper

Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp chicken broth powder (Knorr brand)
1/4 tsp white pepper
6 tbsp water
1 tsp corn starch

Instructions:

1. Mix ground pork with green onions, cilantro, chopped Chinese mushrooms and all the seasonings.
2. Stuff the ground pork mixture into each of the deep fried tofu halves. Be generous - make a nice mound over the tofu.
3. Heat up the skillet on medium high heat with 2 tbsp of vegetable or peanut oil.
4. Place pork-stuffed deep fried tofu meat-side down into the skillet to sear the meat for about 2 minutes.
5. Put in chopped napa cabbage leaves, sliced Chinese mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms, 1/4 cup of water, all ingredients for sauce except water and corn starch, mix all ingredients together carefully, bring to a simmer and cover. Braise on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
6. While your tofu is braising, make corn starch slurry by mixing 1 tsp corn starch and 6 tbsp of water.
7. After 10-15 min, mix the corn starch slurry into the mixture. The sauce will thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve with steamed rice.

Golden Mushroom Soup

2010-04-19T23:39:00.000-06:00

Mushrooms, mushrooms and more mushrooms - if you love mushrooms, this soup is for you! Chock full of Chinese mushrooms (similar to shiitake), enoki (or golden mushrooms) and wood ear mushrooms (aka black fungus - tastes better than it sounds) with soft, grated carrot in a savoury chicken broth, this soup is a huge favorite in my household! I served it to a bunch of our friends during a Chinese feast I prepared for them before Christmas, and this mushroom soup was what people talked about the most as they left that evening.

I actually first had this soup at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Calgary - Enjoy House on 17 Ave SE. Enjoy House specializes in dishes specific to Teochew (Chaozhou) people of China (from eastern Guangdong province). I am proudly one of those people! My grandparents from both sides are originally from this region (and immigrated to Malaysia from there). The cuisine is very distinct - they cook their duck a special way, their congee (rice cooked down in broth) and many other dishes are quite different, and generally the overall flavours are not what you would find in Chinatown which are mostly Cantonese or Peking style.

Back to Enjoy house...the first time I visited Enjoy House with my parents, they had just opened and claimed to have Teochew style food. Of course, my family and I had to go and give it a try and pass judgment as to whether they really were authentic (they are). One of the best ways to find out besides trying the Teochew style duck, is to try Lemon Duck soup. What's special about Lemon Duck soup is that it is a duck soup made with Teochew style preserved lemons. These are not easy to make (and unfortunately, my grandmother passed away before showing us all how to make them - my mom is still trying to perfect it). However, as it was our first time there, the waitress said that you had to order the Lemon Duck soup at least 24 hours in advance so they could prepare the lemons! We were out of luck - so she suggested trying their Golden Mushroom soup instead. I can say, that in all the times I've gone back to the restaurant (and it has been many - they recognize us now and already know what we will order) - I STILL have not tried the Lemon Duck soup because the Golden Mushroom soup is soooo good. It is so good that my mom and I went home to try and make it - success!

Now the recipe here, is not the exact recipe they use, it's what my mom and I have gleaned from having it so many times. I have noticed the restaurant has dried scallops and fresh thinly sliced (on the bias) green beans in their soup too. The beans are easy to add in - the scallops...well, depends on how much you want to spend. If you have ever been to T&T here in Calgary and stop at that strange smelling store across from it with all the dried...stuff...then you'll notice several bins of dried scallops - for $50 a pound!! You may think I'm exaggerating and I am and I'm not. There are definitely really expensive ones (they're usually much bigger scallops) or you can buy the little ones which are much cheaper, but I think they're still around $15-$20 a pound. It is a great ingredient for many delicious Chinese soups, and if you want to go all the way, definitely get some, but I promise the soup will still taste good without it or if you don't have it on hand at the time (which is usually the case for me).

Let's talk about the mushrooms for a bit as these are mushrooms you probably don't normally run into:

1. The Chinese mushrooms are similar to shiitake mushrooms and I buy the dried ones and reconstitute them in hot water, rinse them well and slice them thinly once they're soft enough to cut. I have made this soup with fresh shiitake mushrooms and although it tastes ok, I find the flavour is quite different. Fresh shiitake mushrooms are very fragrant and the perfume in them I found was a bit overpowering in the soup. Especially because enoki and wood ears are not very strong. Dried Chinese mushrooms are much earthier and I think they bring a better balance and foundation to the soup. You can find dried Chinese mushrooms at T&T or Superstore. If you go to T&T, you will likely be overwhelmed by the number of choices in Chinese mushrooms - if you go to Superstore, they usually only have one brand. ;)

2. The Enoki mushrooms can usually be found fresh at the Asian market (T&T) or Superstore over by the Chinese greens. They have extremely long stems and tiny little heads. Once cooked they look almost like noodles. They are usually packaged tightly together in plastic. You need to cut off the bottoms (mostly dirt) and separate the strands otherwise you will get large hunks of mushroom stuck together in your soup. Make sure to rinse them well as little bits of dirt sometimes get stuck between the strands because they're packaged together so tightly.

3. The Wood Ear mushrooms or Black Fungus can also be found at T&T or Superstore. Superstore doesn't always carry it - but if they do, it's in the Asian section along with the dried Chinese mushrooms. They will look like little strips of brittle, black and brown cardboard (these are the pre-sliced ones - you can also get them whole, but why slice them yourself?!?). These also need to be reconstituted in hot water and rinsed well then they're ready to use.

I recommend you try making this soup. It really is delicious and oh so easy to make. In my house, we each like to spice it up individually, with a few drops of Tabasco sauce and a spoonful of Chinese red vinegar to turn the soup into a hot and sour soup. It tastes just as good without those accompaniments too so it's all up to you! Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

GOLDEN MUSHROOM SOUP

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth (or 1 tetrapak)
6-8 dried Chinese mushrooms (depends on size)
1 1/2 cups dried, sliced black fungus (wood ear mushrooms)
1 package fresh Enoki (golden) mushrooms
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
6 fresh green beans, cut thinly at an angle (optional)
chicken broth powder (Knorr brand, for seasoning)
white pepper
6-8 tbsp corn starch (to thicken soup)

Instructions:

1. Prepare all your mushrooms (reconstitute if dried and slice thinly, separate enoki strands).
2. Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Put all mushrooms, grated carrots and sliced green beans in (if using dried scallops, put scallops in first with the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 20-30 min before adding mushrooms and carrots). Bring back to a boil, then simmer for 10 min.
3. While soup is simmering, make your corn starch slurry. In a bowl or cup, mix corn starch with just enough water to dissolve the corn starch.
4. Slowly pour in some of the corn starch slurry into the soup, then stir...give it a few seconds and check if the soup has gotten thicker. If it's not thick enough, put more slurry in, then stir. Check again. Keep doing this until the soup is to desired thickness (usually just enough to leave a thin coat on the ladle). I wouldn't recommend just dumping in all the slurry as some people will make it with a little more water and some a little less so you should do it a little at a time.
5. Add a teaspoon of chicken broth powder. Taste. Not salty enough, add a little more until desired flavour is achieved.
6. Season with white pepper.
7. Serve hot (and optionally with Tabasco sauce, Chinese red vinegar and more white pepper - to the individual's taste).

"Pork Chops Taste Gooooood"

2010-04-14T21:13:00.003-06:00

MMMmmmm pork chops. They're so delicious - if they're cooked right. Many people I know don't really like pork chops and I don't think it's because Jules says they're "filthy animals." I think it's more likely because they've had dry dry dry pork chops hailing from the days of E.Coli scares where everyone overcooked their pork to make sure they were "safe". Well turn the heat down and take the pan off because pork chops CAN be succulent and tender!

I love these Asian-style pork chops. I make them all the time because with a few simple ingredients and some marinating time, these pork chops are yummy! Want to add a bit of a Vietnamese flair? Throw in some lemongrass - either way, you will find these pork chops very savoury and flavourful. Saute the onions and garlic from the marinade and pour it over top of the cooked pork chops and yum! Perfect with steamed rice.

For this dish, I usually use pork loin chops - in fact, I will usually buy a large pork loin (think Costco) and then slice the individual chops. Whatever I don't use, I portion a chunk and freeze for another time. It's a little more cost effective this way. But also, this way you can choose how thick or thin you want your chops. Since I'm usually in a hurry when I'm making dinner, I cut the chops to about half inch slices and then I pound them to quarter-inch thickness using a mallet (or the bottom of a frying pan works too!) while placing the chops between plastic wrap or wax paper. I like them thin so they cook fast. Either way though, it's worth giving them a little bit of a beating if for no other reason but to make your chop an even thickness throughout. This will help when you're cooking so you don't have part of your pork chop thin and another part thick, making the overall cooking uneven (you'll have to leave the thick part on to make sure it gets cooked and then the thin part becomes overcooked and dry).

Speaking of dry pork chops, how do you cook your pork chops so that they don't become dry? First, close your mind to overcooking them to be "safe". Pork is actually quite safe these days - not that I'm saying that you should eat them rare or anything, but you need to monitor them and take them off the heat when they're done - not leave them on for an extra 5 minutes "just in case." When you're cooking pork chops, you want to watch for a couple of things. First, when you put them down on a grill or frying pan, use medium to medium-high heat. Blasting them at too high a heat will just burn the outside and the inside will never get cooked fully. Two, watch for the sides of the pork to start turning white until it is almost halfway white up the sides - then flip to cook the other side. Three, poke, poke poke! Do a poke test - and by this, I mean use your finger to give the meat a poke (do not puncture it with a knife or cut into it to see if it's cooked - you will lose all the juices). What you're looking for is for the meat to be just firm. If it feels hard - it's too dry. If it feels soft and squishy, still undercooked. Another trick to tell how done your meat is, is to touch all your fingers to your thumb, then with your other hand, poke the meaty part of your palm, just under your thumb. That's how your pork should feel when it's done. (By the way, if you touch only your index finger to your thumb and poke your palm, that's "medium rare", index and middle finger, "medium" etc.). So you need to keep your eye (and your finger!) on your pork to make sure you don't cross the threshold from "just firm" to hard. Last, don't forget to tent your chops! Once you take them off the heat and put them on a dish, cover with aluminum foil. This allows the meat time to rest and keep its juices. If you cut into it too soon, you will have a wet mess and your pork will be dry! Do all these things, and you won't have dry, sand paper chops! Enjoy!

ASIAN-STYLE PORK CHOPS

Ingredients

7-8 pork loin chops, 1/4-1/2 inch thickness

Marinade

3 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried red chile flakes (optional)
1/2 medium onion sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 stalk lemongrass, sliced (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the pork chops and marinade ingredients in a plastic bag. Marinate at least 1 hour (overnight is even better)
2. Grill or pan-fry pork chops on medium high heat.
3. Once pork chops are done, place on dish and cover with aluminum foil for 5-7 min.
4. Take onions and garlic from marinade bag and saute in a pan with oil. Pour over pork chops and serve.

Chickity China the Chinese Chicken

2010-03-22T00:03:00.003-06:00

Today, I want to welcome my sister Melissa, to Tummy Juice. Like me, my sister loves eating and cooking. This weekend, she came down to Calgary to visit me (...ok, ok, it was really to visit her baby nephew), but before she left, she made a delicious oven roasted chicken with soy sauce and onions. I finished it off with some baby bok choy with oyster sauce and drizzled the whole thing with crispy garlic oil. Without further adieu, heeeeeere's Melissa!......

So over the past little while, all my Facebook friends have been enjoying the documentation of my cooking experiments, subsequently leading to my sister’s own documentation, and ultimately, the birth of this blog. I guess it would make sense that I “guest-blog” every now and then, so here’s my first entry.

Well, back to what I was saying about cooking “experiments” – I’ve always been a bit intimidated with cooking Chinese food….not too sure why. Perhaps watching my mom and my grandma cooking their family recipes always seemed so complicated, I always ended up cooking “Western” cuisine, because the methods just seemed so much easier.

Well, my mindset has quickly been changing when I realized that Asian-style cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, a lot of it is really quite easy! I also daresay that with cooking a simple Chinese meal, you get the best bang for your buck – really tasty, and enough to pack your lunch for the next day.

Alright, now I believe my sister when she said that I wouldn’t have a hard time blogging….now to the food.
I found this great chicken recipe from The Chinese Chicken Cookbook by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. Like a lot of Chinese recipes, it covers several dimensions of flavour – savoury, sweet, acidic, and…some alcohol flavour (not sure how to describe that!). The only thing that is “missing” is some heat, but I would say you could definitely add some red chilies to this recipe if you like. Otherwise, all the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store, or might even be in your pantry already.

I did make a slight adjustment – it originally calls for quartered chicken breasts, but I substituted it for boneless, skin-on chicken thighs instead. A couple of reasons why: chicken thighs tend to be juicier, and best of all, they cook faster! The original recipe takes a total of 1.5 hours roasting time, whereas the thighs will take probably a max of 45 minutes. This makes it more ideal for a weekday meal…especially after a long day of work. Prep time will be about ten minutes if you don’t have to de-bone your chicken, plus give it about 20-30 minutes to marinate. Yet another tasty meal that doesn’t take a whole lot of effort – the best kind!

CHICKEN ROASTED WITH SOY SAUCE AND ONIONS RECIPE

Ingredients:

10-12 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, cleaned thoroughly but with some of its fat retained (make sure it is dry before you add it to the marinade)

Marinade

2 tablespoons Chinese white rice wine or gin
3 tablespoons double dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese white rice vinegar or distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Extras:

3 tablespoons peanut/vegetable oil
4 cups thinly sliced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken thighs in a large Ziploc bag. Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade and add it to the chicken. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds, add 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil, and coat the wok with it, using a spatula. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the onions. Stir and cook for a minute, lower the heat to medium, and cook for another 3 minutes until onions are soft. Turn off the heat.

3. Place the chicken and the marinade in a roasting pan in a single layer. Spoon the onions over, around, and under the chicken pieces. Place the roasting pan with the chicken and onions in the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes.

4. Lower the heat to 350°F, baste the chicken with its fat and juices, and roast for another 15 minutes. Check for doneness.

5. In a pan, heat 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add minced garlic. Spread out the garlic so it is a thin layer in your pan. Saute until the garlic just starts to turn colour. As soon as it starts to turn colour, turn off the heat, and transfer the garlic and oil to a dish. Because the oil is still hot, it will still cook the garlic and turn it all crispy and brown. If you wait until the garlic is brown before transferring, you will end up with burnt garlic.

5. Transfer the chicken to a heated platter, drizzle over the garlic oil and serve with cooked rice.

(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Beef

2010-03-17T19:36:00.002-06:00

The first time I ever had Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) was at the Vietnam Restaurant on 12 Ave in Calgary where I live. My friend's Vietnamese boyfriend had taken us there and warned me not to order any pho as he said he only ate there for their Bo Luc Lac (he didn't think their pho was that good) or as it's written in the menu "beef cubes." This was almost 9 years ago so my experience in Vietnamese food had mostly been pho, bun bo hue (spicy pho) and subs. I had never heard of these beef cubes before. So I did as he did and ordered it. It was delicious! (Since the original writing of this, I have had the Bo Luc Lac at Bolsa in Calgary and it is the best! Truly!).

I will admit I was skeptical at first - the beef cubes were in fact, just cubes of beef sitting on top of steamed rice with a side of iceberg lettuce, a tomato and a cucumber and some Italian dressing I think. It didn't look fancy, there were no garnishes. Just beef on rice. I took a bite and I was surprised - the beef was tender and each morsel was so flavourful! I had always wondered how they made it, and never really tried until my sister tried a recipe from Viet World Kitchen. She said it tasted wonderful so I thought I'd try it. Since then, I've made it a few more times and tweaked things here and there to my taste...I've also incorporated pickled red onions from Rasa Malaysia's Bo Luc Lac recipe as I think that makes a huge difference in the overall dish. The tangy onion-y bite adds that little bit of kick to the overall flavour of the beef and I think it's a must-have when serving this dish. I also enjoy dipping the beef cubes in a dipping sauce (or pouring it over) - you can either use traditional Vietnamese fish sauce (the one with the carrots in it that come with almost every Vietnamese dish at the restaurant), or a lime-pepper dipping sauce. It just adds another dimension of flavour that is deeelish!

So why is this called "shaking" beef? It's because "Luc Lac" describes the action of shaking the beef when searing/cooking it. You need to have a fairly hot pan with a little oil (a wok works nicely if you have one, but a skillet or frying pan is fine) and you quickly and carefully put the beef in and then take a step back! You will get lots of sizzle and spray...it's a little dangerous! I have a gas stove at home so the heat and spraying oil and marinade actually made sparks of fire. I thought maybe the next time I made it, I could do it without the pan being so hot...but unfortunately, I did not get the same searing and instead of beef cubes with that flavourful seared crusty goodness on the outside, I ended up with just cooked beef with no crust and a bit of a mushy sauce. Blech. I guess a little danger is worth the taste! So get that pan nice and hot, put your beef in, let it sear for a few seconds and then shake, shake, shake!

There is a good reason for all this shaking. Shaking the pan back and forth moves the beef around so that you can get that nice sear on the other sides of the beef cubes. Shaking also keeps you from getting mushy stuff from happening inside your pan and all over your cubes. What mushy stuff you ask? Well, have you ever put a burger on the BBQ and then watched the top of that burger (the uncooked side) as the other side is cooking away? You'll notice after awhile that some brown bubbly...stuff, appears on top. It starts off as blood seeping out and then the heat cooks it along with some of the beef juice and turns it brown. That's the mushy stuff. At that point, that's when you want to flip your burger over to finish cooking it (you only want to flip your burger once)...but in Bo Luc Lac, you don't want that stuff to appear. Or at least if it does, you want it to dry up rather than stick to your cubes or make a mushy sauce. So to prevent this, you have to keep the beef moving and you have to have a hot pan. It is not enough to just keep the beef moving - if that pan is not hot, the mush will not dry up - like I said, it's a little dangerous, but worth it!

One last tip...if you can, use a nice cut of beef. The nice thing about this dish is that you really don't have to - I mean this is a time where you could use a cheapie cut of beef and it will still taste good...but the last time I made it, I decided to splurge and used a ribeye (I know, I had trouble cutting my beautiful ribeye up into little cubes) - but ribeye steaks are known for their marbling and that extra bit of fat just made the whole dish so juicy! MMMmmm! Anyways, I'm certainly not saying you need to do that, but if you do get a more tender cut of beef, it really will make the dish that much better. It's up to you. Either way, I think you'll enjoy this dish!

BO LUC LAC (SHAKING BEEF) RECIPE

Ingredients:

Marinade

1 lb beef (any cut you like) cut into 1″ cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil

Pickled Red Onions Vinaigrette*

1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp salt

Lime-Pepper Dipping Sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
4 tbsp lime juice

Instructions:

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a plastic bag (like Ziploc) including the beef cubes. Marinate the beef cubes for at least 1 hour - the longer the better! You can even do it the night before.

2. Combine all the pickling ingredients together. This can also be done the night before or at least 30 min before serving.

3. Combine all the dipping ingredients together. This can be done prior to serving. Since limes differ in how much juice you can get out of them, basically you're looking for a fairly liquidy sauce - not a paste. Use as much lime juice as you need to get that consistency.

4. To cook the beef:

Put some oil in a pan (about 4 -5 tbsp - more if you have more beef) and heat.
Once the oil is hot (when you swirl the oil in the pan you see a wisp of smoke), add the beef - but only enough to cover the bottom of the pan. (ie. don't pile the beef on top of one another). Cook in batches if necessary. WARNING: you will get spatter so be careful! Don't just toss the beef in! In fact, I suggest you transfer the beef from your Ziploc bag to a bowl, then when putting the beef in, put the edge of the bowl close to the bottom of the pan so that the beef gently slides in.
Let the beef sear for about 20 seconds - then shake the pan so that the cubes flip and can sear another side. Repeat until all sides are seared. Depending on how you like your beef done, you'll have to test it. I like mine medium-rare, so this doesn't take long - about 4 - 5 min. Cook it longer if you want it more done.
Once cooked, transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately with pickled onions and dipping sauce.

*Recipe from Rasa Malaysia

Risotto...the Dish and the Method

2010-03-15T21:26:00.005-06:00

The definition of "risotto" by any of the dictionaries I can find is "...a dish of rice cooked with broth and flavored with grated cheese and other ingredients." Hm...this is true, it describes the traditional risotto made with Italian arborio rice. But these days, you can order all sorts of risotto - barley risotto, israeli couscous risotto etc. so is the definition wrong? Can risotto only be made with rice?

Well, clearly, risotto can be made with other ingredients besides rice. Why is that? It's because risotto is also a method of cooking. It is the method of taking some type of starchy ingredient (usually a grain) and adding some type of broth ladle by ladle so that the starchy ingredient can absorb the stock and release it's starch and leave behind a dish that still has the individual grains but has a creamy texture (NOT to be confused with a mushy texture).

If you've never made risotto before, I highly recommend it - it's not scary, it's not difficult. But the method must be adhered to. It is not at all like making rice where you put the rice and water (or stock) in and leave it. There is no way you'll get the starch out this way and will therefore not get the creamy texture. The other great thing about risotto is that you can add just about anything to a basic risotto recipe and have countless different risotto dishes. One of my favorites is chicken and wild mushrooms. But I've made all types - I've used only arborio rice, a combo of arborio rice and barley, just barley ...I've mixed it with chicken, turkey, mushrooms, squash, asparagus, pea puree or a combination of all the above. If you get the method right, you can make the most delicious risotto!

So what is the basic risotto method? It's very simple:

1. Heat olive oil, add finely diced shallots (you can also use onion). Saute 2-3 minutes (don't let the shallots get brown).

2. Add arborio rice (or barley or combination or some other starchy grain) and saute till the grains are coated in the oil.

3. Add white wine to cover the rice.

4. Once the wine is absorbed, at 3 ladles of heated broth (I usually use chicken). Stir.

5. Once the broth is absorbed, at 3 more ladles of heated broth. Stir.

6. Repeat until the rice is cooked (ie. it's just soft or al dente).

7a. At this point, you can add any other ingredients to pimp up your risotto or you can skip entirely if you want a basic risotto)

7b. Add Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper.

8. Add 1-2 tbsp of butter. Stir vigorously.

You may read from other places to put in your broth one ladle at a time...all I have to say about that, is that it just takes longer for your rice to cook. Adding 3 ladles at a time, as long as you're stirring your rice occasionally helps get your rice cooked faster but still allows the starch to come out. This way, you can have a risotto done in 20 min rather than 45. I know, I've tried both. And the butter at the end? Don't forget it! The butter actually helps bring all the grains together so it tightens up the risotto and adds to the creaminess. Without the butter at the end, your risotto simply won't be as creamy and it will be loose. I can't really explain the looseness...it's almost like you have individual grains of rice in a thick broth as opposed to creamy grains of rice. Again, I know - I've tried both.

In terms of any other ingredients you want to add to your risotto, my main tip would be to prepare it before putting it into your risotto - and I mean seasoning and cooking it most of the way before adding it to your risotto (rather than letting your risotto cook it). I've found that the flavour that you want to get from those ingredients comes out more when it's cooked as if it's its own dish before going into the risotto. Think of the risotto as a blank canvas for that ingredient. So when I'm making a wild mushroom risotto, I will cook my mushrooms in a separate pan with olive oil, a pat of butter, salt and pepper before putting it in my risotto. If I'm adding asparagus or zucchini, I like to roast it with olive oil, salt and pepper, then cut it up and put it in my risotto.

Risotto is so versatile, I can't tell you how much I enjoy trying different flavours in my risotto. As long as you get the method down, you really can do whatever you want with it. So try it! Try different grains, different stocks, and different ingredients. I promise you won't be disappointed. It's a fun and delicious method of cooking!

CHICKEN AND WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 lb ground chicken

3 cups sliced fresh wild mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, chanterelle, portabello, crimini etc. - whatever you can find)

1 package dried porcini mushrooms (can be omitted - or if you can't find it, you can use dried portabello or dried morels - whatever you can find)

1 1/2 cups arborio rice (you can also do a combo of 1 cup arborio rice to 1/2 cup pearl barley)

1 shallot, finely diced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (regular curly parsley is fine if you can't find Italian parsley)

1 - 1 1/2 cup white wine (nothing too dry - I use a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)

6 cups chicken stock, simmering in a separate pot

4 tbsp butter

olive oil

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and add boiling hot water - enough to cover. Let the mushrooms reconstitute (around 10 min). Once reconstituted, carefully remove the mushrooms without disturbing the liquid. You will want to use some of this liquid for the risotto, but you don't want to touch any of the grit at the bottom of the bowl.

2. Take the reconstituted mushrooms and place in a food processor and blender and puree. Set aside.

3. Cook the fresh mushrooms in a large frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. (using a large frying pan that allows room for your mushrooms will keep your mushrooms from getting soggy)

4. Cook the ground chicken in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

5. Heat olive oil, add finely diced shallots. Saute 2-3 minutes (don't let the shallots get brown).

6. Add rice (or rice and barley if you're using both) and saute till the grains are coated in the oil.

7. Add white wine to cover the rice.

8. Once the wine is absorbed, at 3 ladles of the mushroom liquid (scoop from the top so as not to get any grit). Stir.

9. Once the broth is absorbed, at 3 more ladles of the mushroom liquid - if you've used it all, switch to the heated chicken broth. Stir.

10. Repeat until the rice is cooked (ie. it's just soft or al dente).

11. Add chicken, sauteed mushrooms and mushroom puree.

12. Add Parmesan cheese - taste. Season with salt and pepper.

13. Add 1-2 tbsp of butter. Stir vigorously.

14. Stir in parsley. Serve immediately.

Farkay...the Better Noodle

2010-03-04T21:11:00.007-07:00

There is a baby boom going on around here and I've had upwards of 10 or more friends have babies or are due in the next 3 months. I know, it's crazy - something in the water! To help out some of the new moms, I'll bring over a meal because as a new mom myself this past year, I know cooking was the last thing on my mind those first few weeks!

One of my favorite dishes to make to bring to the new family (or to potlucks!) is this Farkay noodle dish topped with garlicky chinese greens, BBQ pork, seasoned ground pork and wontons. It is a huge crowd pleaser and I constantly get requests for this dish from friends and at home.

What makes this dish so great is the all important noodle. This is one instance where you wouldn't necessarily want to just cook a bunch of instant noodles unless you're really in a rush. There are all types of noodles in Chinese cuisine - rice noodles and egg noodles mostly along with other noodles made of different types of flours - these are broken into various thicknesses and thinness depending on the use. For this particular dish, there is one noodle I use - made by a company called Farkay. Farkay makes many many types of noodles - and the one you want for this dish, is the aptly named "Chinese Style Farkay Noodles" - go figure. You can usually find these noodles in the Chinese grocery store (T&T Supermarket for example).

So why these noodles? Mainly because they have a great texture but mostly because they don't stick - so they mix together with sauce really well and you can actually get each strand of noodle coated with saucy goodness. Secondly, they cook fast (about 5 minutes). Cook them just like pasta but the most important difference is that you want to rinse the noodles in cold water after they're cooked - this will keep them from sticking. If you can't find these noodles, you could substitute with a Japanese somen noodle or worst case a soba noodle. These are easy to find at Superstore's asian section and you cook them the same way.

Once your noodles are cooked and rinsed, then it's time for the sauce, which is sooo easy. It's just dark soy sauce (2 tbsp), oyster sauce (2 tbsp), and sesame oil (1/2 tsp). Multiply as necessary to make sure you cover your noodles and so they're seasoned well.

One problem I always find when you're making noodles with toppings, is that the noodles at the bottom of the bowl are naked after all the toppings have been taken! This is especially embarrassing for these poor noodles at a potluck as the first wave of guests pick off all the good stuff from the top, leaving the exposed noodles at the bottom. To avoid the embarrassment, I like to mix the noodles with a couple of other things - cilantro and green onion oil, and seasoned ground pork so that even if you are at the end of the potluck line and you miss out on the toppings on top, you're not left with lifeless, tasteless noodles at the bottom.

Cilantro and green onion oil is very easy to do - just put some oil in your pan (depends how much noodle you're going to mix it with, and depends how much cilantro and green onion you have) - but let's say 1/4 cup of oil with 1/4 cup of chopped green onion and cilantro combined. You heat up the oil and then just saute the cilantro and green onion until they're wilted and the oil is fragrant from the cilantro and green onion. It's a simple thing to make and adds such a nice touch to these noodles (or any other noodles you make - even instant!). Sometimes, if I have fresh red chili, I will slice one up and toss it into my oil - you can also use dried crushed red pepper if you like your oil to have some kick.

I also like to mix in seasoned ground pork. Again, very simple - take a bit of ground pork, about 1 cup depending how much noodle you need to cover (I set some aside before using the rest of the ground pork to make wonton filling!), saute in a pan with oil, chopped cilantro (1/4 cup), 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp white pepper. Cook until most the moisture evaporates and the ground pork is almost drying out (but not so much that it becomes crispy and/or burnt). Now you're ready to mix this into the noodles with the cilantro and green onion oil! The seasoned ground pork also freezes very well, so if you have extra, put it in a small tupperware container and stick it in your freezer - great for instant noodle days or a topping with plain steamed rice when you're in a pinch.

Once you have your noodles mixed with sauce, cilantro and green onion oil and seasoned ground pork, you are free to serve it as is for a side dish, or to make it a main, add some sliced Chinese BBQ pork and some Chinese greens (something like bok choy or yu choy - the simplest way to make is after rinsing well, and cutting into smaller pieces, just cook in a pot of boiling water for about 45 seconds - arrange on noodles and put some of the noodle sauce over it), and wontons or potstickers. You can make your wontons with the same filling from my potsticker recipe or you can try the filling in the recipe below (after the jump). Either way, I hope you try this out - there are a few steps but the layers of flavour are fabulous and I promise you'll love it!

WONTON RECIPE

Ingredients

1 lb ground pork
12 prawns, peeled, deveined and chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
2 tsp ginger, minced (little trick - peel then freeze your ginger - then when you need it minced, you can just grate it while frozen!)

Seasoning:

2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tsp shao hsing cooking wine or japanese sake
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 package of wonton wrappers

Instructions:

1. Combine ground pork, prawns and remaining ingredients along with the seasoning in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. To make the wontons:

Place the wonton wrapper in front of you like a diamond.
Place a mound of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Probably about 1 tbsp for a typical wrapper. You can make it smaller if you wish.
Using your finger, dip it in a small bowl of water and dab the top two edges of the wrapper. Fold the bottom two edges over the filling and stick it to the top two edges that you just dabbed with water so that you now have a triangle with the top corner facing away from you.
Dab your finger in the water again and wet the right corner (remember the top corner is at the top). Then take the left and right corners and pull them towards each other (away from the top corner) and stick them together by putting the dry left corner onto the wet right corner. Your wonton is now complete and should look like a little purse.
Place onto a plate or baking sheet and repeat to make additional wontons. Make sure the wontons are not touching otherwise they may stick to each other.

3. To freeze the wontons:

After your plate or baking sheet is full of just-made wontons, place the whole plate/baking sheet in the freezer until the wontons are frozen.
After they're frozen you may then carefully take them off the plate/baking sheet and place inside a ziplock bag and put into the freezer. If you try to put them in the ziplock bag when they're still fresh, be prepared to eat one giant wonton cauliflower!

4. To cook:

Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Drop wontons, into the water and cook for 2 minutes or until wontons are just cooked through if fresh. If cooking from frozen, you will need to cook them longer - closer to 8 minutes. Be sure to test one before taking the rest out to ensure that it's cooked through to the middle.
Remove wontons with a slotted spoon and drain. They're now ready to be placed in soup or on top of noodles or eaten as is with some soy sauce and chili!

Easy Entertaining

2010-02-23T21:37:00.008-07:00

It's been a rough few days being sick, but thankfully I seem to finally be on the mend. But being sick didn't stop me from being able to serve a delicious dinner to some really great friends of ours.

Before I talk about the meal, I just want to give a shout out to my friends, Kory and Erin Sikstrom. We know them from our small group at the church that we attend. They are on a path to becoming missionaries in Romania and I think that is so amazing. You always hear about missionaries and the things they are doing in poor and under developed countries, but I've never actually known any missionaries personally who I could call my friends. They are going to be moving out there hopefully this June with their one and a half year old daughter, Rachel. It has been a journey in the works for the past 2 years and the time is finally coming for them to make the big move. They came over to tell us more about their preparations and about the area that they'll be living and working in. Romania looks like a beautiful country but there are deep divisions among the people - especially the Romanians and the Roma (gypsies), never mind the many orphanages overrun with children who cannot be properly cared for. Kory and Erin will be working with EMCC World Partners and will be providing leadership and oversite to a couple of other missionary teams that are already living and working there. It's so exciting to see what's in store for them. Our family will definitely be helping and supporting them. If you are reading this and interested in finding out more, let me know and I can get you in touch with them. I'll be helping them set up a blog before they leave so they can keep all of us apprised on what they're up to!

Anyways - back to the meal...since I wasn't entirely 100% better, I didn't want that to stop me from serving a delicious meal. So I decided to borrow from an idea from another couple friends of mine, the Crosbies. We are good friends with Fraser and Jenn Crosbie and have had the pleasure of having dinners together. Jenn, being Italian is a fabulous cook. I cannot tell you how much I've enjoyed dinners with them. On one of these invites, Jenn was pregnant with their second son, and after a day of chasing a 1 year old, she had enough on her plate and so she served - antipasti! Ok, not just antipasti (or appetizers), but mostly all appetizers and one main pasta dish. What a fantastic idea! She had cheeses, meats, bread, pickles, salad...just little things for us to pick at and then we each had a big bowl of pasta and believe me, we were FULL. What made the meal so exciting, besides the great company, was the variety. It is now one of my favorite ways to serve a meal - especially if I have company on a whim, or during a weeknight when I don't have the time to cook (or in this case, if I'm not entirely well enough to cook).

On the menu last night was a starter, citrus arugula salad with seared scallops. Peppery arugula dressed with nothing more than olive oil, a combination of ruby red grapefruit and clementine juice (collected when I cut the wedges out), red onion, salt and pepper and topped with seared scallops. Seared scallops seem so fancy, but they are easy to make (I don't know why the chefs on Hell's Kitchen always have issues with these). Just season with salt and pepper than sear in a hot pan with olive oil (the oil must be hot, you should get a loud sizzle as soon as you put the scallop in, if this doesn't happen, your oil is not hot enough and you will just poach the scallop). You turn the scallop over when two things happen - you see that the scallop is cooked to about halfway up the sides, and when you have the nice brown crust. If your scallop does not come off the pan easily, it is not ready to be turned over! When it's done cooking, give it a little poke - it should bounce back like a firm marshmallow. If it is too squishy, it's not cooked in the middle, if it doesn't bounce back, it's overcooked.

For the appetizers, we had fresh calabrese bread, a tray of cheeses - ricotta cheese (which can be dressed up with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper), caprese salad (boconccini with tomatoes), piave and crotonese cheeses. Plus a dish of sauteed mushrooms (combo of oyster, shiitake and chanterelle mushrooms sauteed in butter, splash of olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little bit of chicken broth) to be topped on the calabrese like a mushroom bruschetta.

On the other side, a tray with tomato bruschetta, italian salami and prosciutto, mushroom salad and grilled, marinated vegetables (eggplant, peppers, zucchini and squash).

And finally, the main dish - a yummy clam linguine to top it all off. It was a great night with great friends despite all my sniffling. So next time you're having company, or if you've been afraid to have company because you can't think of what you could possibly cook - don't! Most of these appetizers were bought already pre-made from a fantastic Italian market, and when I can't get out to that market, I go to my local Superstore. Entertaining is about providing a great experience for your guests. That doesn't mean you have to spend all day cooking. Make it easy on yourself and enjoy the evening instead of slaving in the kitchen!

CLAM LINGUINE

Makes 4 - 6 servings (depending if it's served on it's own or with several antipasti)

Ingredients:

12 oz linguine

2 dozen fresh small clams in the shell, scrubbed (make sure when picking your clams from the tank, that you choose the ones that are closed tightly).

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp lemon peel, finely grated
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups Sauvignon Blanc wine
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
5 canned anchovy filets, chopped finely
2 tbsp italian parsley, chopped
1 can baby clams, drained (reserve 1/4 cup of clam juice)
salt, pepper and chicken broth powder, to taste

Instructions:

1. To prepare your clams, put them in a bowl of cold water with a couple tablespoons of flour. The clams will "drink" in the water and the flour will cause them to spit out the water along with any residual sand or debris they might have inside. After about 5 minutes, rinse them in clear, cold water and put aside.
2. Heat olive oil and butter in a deep skillet on medium heat.
3. Add garlic, half of the lemon peel and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute until the garlic is soft, about 2 min.
4. Add wine and increase heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Simmer until the mixture evaporates to about one cup, about 5-6 minutes.

5. Turn the heat down in your skillet, mix in lemon juice, anchovies, baby clams, half the parsley and the rest of the lemon juice. Simmer for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, season with chicken broth powder, pepper and salt. Taste to check seasoning. Cover.
6. On a baking sheet, spread out the clams and bake at 350F until all the clams open. Discard any unopen clams.
7. Cook linguine in salted water (salty like the ocean) according to package instructions.

8. Once the linguine is cooked, drain, then immediately put the pasta into your skillet and mix gently until the sauce is incorporated.
9. Empty the skillet into a serving dish and arrange the baked clams on top. Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley, top with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

Instant Satisfaction

2010-02-20T12:08:00.008-07:00

Man, I am so sick. I caught some horrible cold this past week and I'm feeling terrible. In fact, I haven't been this sick in quite a long time. It's times like this that cooking is certainly not on my agenda. But I'm hungry. I still need to eat...and I have a husband that still needs to eat. What to do? What to do?

I look in my pantry and I'm looking for something fast...something instant. Can it be? Yes, I'm pulling out the instant noodles. Boil some water, toss in the noodles and whatever powder comes in those little foil packages. What's wrong with that? The answer is nothing! There is nothing wrong with having instant noodles. But that isn't to say that you can't make it just a little bit better. Today, it meant tossing in some frozen wontons, a dash of red chili flakes and some fresh ground black pepper. A few weeks ago, it was pan-frying some potstickers and having the instant noodles dry - just mixed with the powder stuff without the water, a little bit of sesame oil and some homemade chili sauce. All I'm saying is, there is no reason you can't have some satisfaction with instant noodles. You just need to be creative.

Instant noodles are a wonderful invention - days when I don't want to spend the time cooking up a pot of noodles for a large noodle dish - I cook up packages of instant noodles (they cook way faster). Or when I need a quick lunch, instant noodles are perfect. Nobody says that you HAVE to use the powder stuff. Or that you HAVE to follow the instructions and eat it like a soup. For example, you can cook up the noodles and then mix just the noodles with a combo of soy sauce, oyster sauce and a few drops of sesame oil. Top it off with an over-easy egg, a sprinkle of pepper and chopped green onions. Yum! Want to have it with the soup? You don't have to make the soup out of the powder that comes with it - if you have some chicken or beef broth, mix in some soy sauce and a little Japanese sake and you have an altogether different flavour! Throw in some frozen mixed veg and you can feel good about getting a bit more nutrition!

So next time you're looking in your pantry and you see those instant noodles sitting there - be creative! You can make a meal, and a healthy one at that, if you use your imagination.

INSTANT NOODLE COMBOS

You can make combos by taking one of the soup combos and combining with different toppings, or taking the dry noodle combos and combining with different toppings.

1. Cook instant noodles in boiling water according to package instructions. Do not put in the powder.

2. Choose either a Soup Combo or Dry Combo.

3. Choose Topping or combination of Toppings.

4. Finish off with a dash of black or white pepper, some green onions and/or cilantro

Soup Combos:

Combo #1:

1 1/2 cup of beef or chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce (check seasoning - if you want it saltier, put in more soy)

1/8 cup Japanese sake

Combo #2:

1 1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 tbsp wonton soup mix or 1/2 cube Chinese ham soup mix (Knorr brand) - check seasoning, put more soup mix in if you want it saltier)

Combo #3:

Use the powder that comes with the package!

Dry Combos:

Combo #1:

Mix the following together:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/4 tsp sesame oil

Mix with cooked noodles

Combo #2:

Mix the following together:

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp chili sauce (less or more depending on how spicy you want it)

Mix with cooked noodles

Combo #3:

Use the powder! Mix with cooked noodles (without the water). Don't empty the entire package at once. Mix some in, taste it, and then add more powder. Since you're not using water, emptying the entire package might make the noodles too salty.

Toppings:

1. Frozen wontons or potstickers

2. Fried egg or poached egg (sometimes with the soup combos, I'll just crack an egg into the soup and let the heat of the soup cook it)

3. Frozen mixed veg or fresh Chinese veg like bok choy, yu choy or napa cabbage or even lettuce

4. Any BBQ meats (from the Chinese BBQ shop)

5. Shredded roast chicken (the already cooked ones you can buy from the store)

*!@nyth1n9!? Fried Rice

2010-02-18T19:47:00.001-07:00

Fried rice is great - you can pretty much toss in ANYTHING you want and come out with a tasty dish. OK, maybe that's not entirely true, but fried rice is quite versatile. With some basic ingredients - rice (duh), egg, veggies and some sort of protein as well as some basic seasoning (soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, white pepper) - you can make a very tasty fried rice. It is perfect for those days you come home late from work and need to eat SOMETHING.

Often when I'm making dinner that includes rice, I always make extra. You just never know if the next day is going to be a fried rice day! I also make fried rice when I have a huge box of frozen prawns I've defrosted for something else (economically, it's a better purchase - but who uses a whole 1 kg of prawns at once?!?) and have leftover. Or if I go to the Chinese BBQ shop and have leftover BBQ pork. Really, any protein will do! Even if it's just egg. Believe me, it will still taste good.

I make fried rice so often that I can't even really tell you the measurements of everything I use because ultimately, it's about taste. Put in all the basic stuff then taste - if it needs a little more salt, put in a bit more soy sauce and fish sauce, if you want a little more sweet - a tad bit more oyster sauce. More kick? More pepper. Too much of any flavour? More rice! Anyone can make this - if you have a skillet and an arm to stir, you can make fried rice. So when you're coming home from a long day and thinking about what to make for dinner - try this out. It will taste good, fill you up and if you're lucky, you'll have enough for lunch the next day!

FRIED RICE RECIPE

Like I mentioned, I don't really "measure" anything out when making fried rice, but I'll do my best to give you a starting point.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice (if using leftover rice, don't heat it up - throw it in cold)
1 egg, beaten (beat in a bowl with a fork)
1/2 cup protein (bite-sized chicken pieces, chopped prawns, chinese sausage or a combination!)
1/4 cup vegetables (a bag of mixed frozen veg for example - if using raw veg, make sure to cook in a pot of boiling water to soften beforehand)

Seasoning:

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
white pepper (to taste)

Optional: (the fried rice is best if these are included, but I've included them as optional because I often find I am either out of ginger, or my green onion looks wilted and brown so I've had to make this without and it's ok!)

1/2 inch piece of ginger, cut into strips
2 stalks green onion, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat up your skillet and put about 2 tbsp of oil in.
2. Move the oil around the bottom of the pan to coat it. When the oil is looking shiny and not too viscous, put in the ginger if you're using it. Once the ginger starts to release it's flavour, toss in your protein.
3. Once your protein is 75-80% cooked, toss in the rice. Mix well.
4. Pour in the egg. Mix well so it's well incorporate into the rice and gets cooked.
5. Put in vegetables.
6. Put in seasonings. Taste - season more if necessary or adjust seasonings to your taste.
7. Put in green onions. Mix well. Serve immediately.

Where in the World is Chicken Tikka Masala?

2010-02-17T21:47:00.002-07:00

If you've never had East Indian food, Chicken Tikka Masala is a great introduction. The curry is a bit lighter but still has the distinct East Indian flavours. Funny thing is...I'm not 100% sure this dish really is from India! It's kind of like a ginger beef thing - it's not really Chinese. Just something concocted from the famous Silver Inn in Calgary, AB. With Chicken Tikka Masala, it's origins may be traced back to Glasgow of all places! It is also extremely popular in England where it's disputed to be England's national dish! I'll have to ask my British friends to confirm that for me though...

Chicken Tikka Masala is lovely. Pieces of tender chicken cooked in a light curry (with just a tiny bit of heat), coconut milk, tomatoes and flavourful onions and cilantro. Served with basmati rice and naan bread to soak up the curry and cooled off with a dollop of yogurt and crunchy almonds - this dish is deeeeeeelish!

Jamie Oliver's version of Chicken Tikka Masala is my favorite (it must be good, it's made by a Brit!). The best thing about Jamie's version? It is EASY. Add to that the fact that it is FAST. You can have dinner on the table in under an hour from start to finish. The other nice thing? It's basically a one-pot meal, especially if you add a few things (like more veggies - I am a Mom after all, so I need to make sure the family is eating veg). Also, one pot = less dishes to clean!

I like to serve the Tikka Masala with Jamie's cilantro-lime rice. The tangy-ness from the lime and the fresh cilantro brighten the flavours of the curry. Of course, naan bread is a must as well - what else are you going to use to sop up all that yummy curry from the bottom of the bowl?!? These days you can buy naan bread from the supermarket - I pick mine up from Superstore and then toast it before serving. Try this recipe, I promise you won't be disappointed!

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA RECIPE*

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

4 skinless chicken breast fillets (sometimes I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs)

2 medium onions

1 fresh red chile

a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger (about 1 inch)

1/2 cup tikka masala curry paste (Patak's brand is great! I use the whole can)

1 x 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 x 14 oz can of coconut milk

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 cup natural yogurt (I like Balkan-style plain yogurt)

peanut or vegetable oil

a pat of butter (I usually use about 2 tbsp)

a small handful of sliced almonds

To prepare your curry:

1. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise into 3/4-inch thick strips (or bite-sized pieces if you prefer).

2. Peel, halve, and finely slice the onions

3. Finely slice your chile.

4. Peel and finely slice the ginger.

5. Pick the cilantro leaves and put to one side, then finely chop the stalks.

To make your curry:

1. Put a large casserole-type pan on a medium to high heat and add a couple of lugs of oil and the butter.

2. Add the onions, chile, ginger and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes, until softened and golden.

3. Add the curry paste and chicken.

4. Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir. Add cauliflower and peas.

6. At this point, if you feel the curry is a bit too thick or would like a thinner curry, add some water to the consistency you desire. Stir.

7. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.

8. Check the curry regularly to make sure it is not drying out. If it is, add water.

9. When the meat is tender and cooked, taste and add a bit more salt and pepper (I like to season with a bit of chicken broth powder - Knorr brand).

To serve your curry:

1. Serve with Cilantro Lime rice (recipe to follow) or check out Jamie's Food Revolution for other rice versions.

2. Add a dollop of yogurt on top.

3. Sprinkle almonds and cilantro leaves.

*Adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution

CILANTRO LIME RICE*

Ingredients:

A large bunch of cilantro

2 limes

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Cook your rice.

2. Pick the cilantro leaves off the stalks and chop finely.

3. Zest the limes and cut them in half.

4. Mix the cilantro and lime zest into your rice, then squeeze over the lime juice.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Stir well and serve.

*From Jamie's Food Revolution

Gong Xi Fat Cai

2010-02-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post today...tonight, we celebrated Chinese New Year with my family. I have a very large extended family and we are all very close. We take every opportunity to get together despite the fact that some of us "kids" live in different cities.

Chinese New Year is a huge event for Chinese families. It is a time to come together and celebrate the coming of a new year. It's a time to offer good wishes and good fortune to everyone and that includes, as part of most Chinese traditions - eating (which I'm very good at!). Just looking at the buffet of food above you can see how my love of food was passed down to me. Imagine eating like this every holiday and every time the family gets together (which is at least once a month for me when I come home for a long weekend)!

The menu tonight consisted of a variation of Chinese and Malaysian food - things like chili prawns, beef curry, braised teo chew duck (hailing from the region of China my grandparents came from) and like it or not, shark fin soup (which I have to admit, I love to eat). It is traditional feasts like this that have harboured my love for food. How can you not when you have a whole family of cooks and eaters that share that same passion? Thank you mom, dad, uncles and aunties for bringing the family together this way all these years!

Mmm...Balls...Tell Us About Your Balls, Pete

2010-02-11T22:13:00.014-07:00

Banh mi or Vietnamese subs are one of my favorite sandwiches to eat. It isn't like any other sub that you would find at a Subway or another North American sub store. First, the bread is a crusty French baguette, slathered with mayonnaise and pate (hailing from the days of French colonization of Indochina) and then filled with various types of meat, pickled carrots and daikon (do chua), cucumber, cilantro, onions and chili (the Vietnamese side of the sub). These days the different variations include assorted cold cuts (my favorite), sate beef/pork/chicken, meatball and others.

The first time I made banh mi, I didn't know where to find all the different cold cuts that I enjoyed so much. It's not like regular sandwich meat you can buy at the store. It is distinctly Vietnamese. Since I didn't know where to find the cold cuts, I decided to go a different route. On one of my previous trips to one of my favorite Vietnamese sub places in town, I had ordered what they called the "meatball" sub, although there were no actual meatballs. At least not in the form of...balls. Back then, their version consisted of seasoned ground pork (and these days, it's not even that - but actually one of the cold cut meats from the assorted sub!) Either way, I figured I could make the seasoned ground pork and that would do it. And it did. Sort of. It was kind of difficult to eat since it was loose and falling out every time I took a bite. So I decided I would actually make my meatball sub with actual meatballs! Imagine that?!?

One of the blogs I follow, Viet World Kitchen has a great recipe for Banh Mi Xiu Mai (meatball sub). Since making it the first time, I've added my own embellishments to the recipe. I like my meatballs very savory and seasoned well so that they can stand up by themselves (even without the bread) and the addition of cilantro for me, adds a little bit of extra "umph". The meatballs are so tasty that I have to keep myself (and my husband) from eating all the meatballs before they make it into the sandwich! I remember the first time I made this recipe, I had bought one french baguette and the banh mi turned out to be SO delicious, that we literally inhaled our sandwiches. They were so good in fact, that as soon as we finished wolfing it down, my husband looked at me, then got up and went to the store to buy another baguette! We ended up eating ALL the meatballs in that one sitting. So much for freezing any extras!

BANH MI XIU MAI (VIETNAMESE MEATBALL SUB) RECIPE*

Makes 16 large meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork
1 large egg
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup green onion, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tbsp corn starch

Seasoning:

2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chicken broth powder (Knorr brand) - can substitute 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp white pepper (can substitute black pepper)

Garnishes:

Mayonnaise
Pate (optional - you can buy any prepared pate that you enjoy)
Maggi sauce (optional)
Pepper

Cucumber, sliced long and thin (length of your sandwich) - 1 or 2 slices per sandwich
Onions, sliced thinly (to make the onions less pungent, soak in a bowl of ice cold water for 10 min, drain)
Cilantro leaves
Red chili, sliced (optional)
Do chua (pickled carrot and daikon) - recipe to follow

Instructions:

To make the meatballs:

Preheat oven to 400F
Combine all the ingredients and seasoning. (Make a small tester ball and nuke it in the microwave to cook it. Use this to check that the seasoning is to your liking!)
Roll into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on an oiled, foil-lined baking sheet
Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
Slice each meatball in half before placing in the sandwich (keeps the meatballs from rolling out!)

To make the sub:

Slice the baguette and spread mayonnaise and pate on the inside of the baguette.
Place meatballs in the baguette.
Stuff the sub with cucumber slices, do chua, onions, cilantro and chili.
If using Maggi sauce, sprinkle some across the meatballs and veggies.
Finish with a sprinkling of black pepper.

*Banh Mi Xiu Mai adapted from Viet World Kitchen

Do Chua (pickled carrot and daikon)**

1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 lb daikon (each no thicker than 2 inch diameter), peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 tsp salt
2 tsp + 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup white vinegar (can substitute rice wine vinegar)

Place the carrot and daikon in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, expelling the water from them. They will soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. The vegetables should have lost about one-fourth of their volume. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to a 1-quart jar for longer storage.
To make the brine, in a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Beyond that point, they get tired.

**Do chua recipe from Viet World Kitchen

A Rose by Any Other Name...is a Potsticker?

2010-02-10T22:53:00.072-07:00

Mmmm...potstickers. I love them. Made properly, you get beautiful pleats, and a wrapper that is both delicate yet tough enough to hold in the moist filling inside. Cooked properly, you get a soft skin with a little bit of crispiness and if you're lucky, a squirt from the juicy cooked filling.

Why do I love potstickers so much (also known as gyoza if you're Japanese)? Really, they aren't that different from wontons or water dumplings (shui jiao) - it seems the only difference between these are slightly different fillings (although I often use the same filling for all three styles), different wrappers, wrapping styles and mostly cooking styles. Don't get me wrong, I love wontons and water dumplings too - but out of the three, potstickers are definitely my favorite.

Potstickers have a thicker wrapper than wontons - wonton wrappers are notoriously thin and can really only hold up to being cooked in boiling water or deep fried as the skin would likely tear if you tried to pan fry them the way you do potstickers. Water dumplings use the same wrapper, but they're cooked in boiling water or soup. Water dumplings are usually not pleated - but then, a water dumpling would be a potsticker if you pan fried it. So I suppose it's safe to say you could pleat them, cook them in water and then they would be water dumplings!

My favorite potstickers by far have been homemade ones made by a couple from mainland China that my parents knew from their church. I was blessed by these little morsels of deliciousness after I gave birth to my son and they sent down two large bags of pork and beef potstickers with my mom when she came to meet her first grandson. They were amazing and unbelievably juicy. To this day, I am unable to figure out what they do to make them oh so juicy. Literally, every time we ate one, we would see how far our first bite would squirt! Unfortunately, the couple had to go back to China when their visa application didn't go through. I can only hope and pray that they're able to come back again some day soon - especially as they promised to make more for me!

In the meantime, I decided that if I wanted homemade potstickers, I would have to make my own. I follow Rasa Malaysia's blog and found a lovely potsticker recipe there. Who knew that making the wrappers was so easy? Simply flour and water. You don't even really need to measure - just put in some flour and slowly add water till it comes together into a dough. Then knead. And knead some more. The filling is also good, although I've made my own filling - ground pork, shrimp, carrots, napa cabbage, cilantro, shiitake and wood ear mushrooms. I love the fattiness and flavour from the pork and shrimp but I want the crunch I get from all the veggies. This is the filling I use now for all my wontons and water dumplings too.

The first time I made these - it took me 2 hours to make 20! Good grief - I thought I'd never make another potsticker ever again. The combination of rolling out every single wrapper, filling it then trying to make those darned pleats! That first batch were as ugly as sin. Aiya! But I proudly called my mom that day to tell her that I had made them and they DID taste delicious. And then I felt like a right fool when my mom asked me why I didn't just use my pasta roller attachment (for my Kitchenaid mixer - used to make the dough) and a round cookie cutter to make the wrappers? What can I say? My mom is brilliant. So if you're wondering why the picture above has such perfectly consistent-looking potstickers...that's why! Although I do have to give myself a *little* credit. I've gotten MUCH better at wrapping those little pleats!

POTSTICKER RECIPE*

Makes 50 - 75 potstickers (depends how big you make them)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork
7 prawns, deveined and chopped finely
2 napa cabbage leaves, chopped finely
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup of shiitake mushrooms (fresh or reconstituted from dry), chopped finely
1/4 cup of wood ear mushrooms (reconstituted), chopped finely
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Seasoning:

1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp white pepper (can substitute black pepper although I think the white pepper is spicier)
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients and seasonings together and set aside.

If you have a food processor, toss everything in (you won't need to chop everything finely before doing this as the food processor will do it for you). I suggest putting all the veggies in first then the meats (pork and shrimp) on top before blitzing it. This way the veggies will get chopped up and the weight of the meats will push the veggies down and then get mixed in. Trust me - I've done it the opposite way and got super mushy meat and unchopped veggies.

If you do not have a food processor, you will need to chop everything up quite finely before mixing. The best way to mix is to use your hands! Really get your fingers in and let it all squish through your fingers. The old school Chinese way of doing it once you get everything mixed together initially is to scoop up the meat and veggie mixture together and then "throw" it back into your bowl, scoop it up, and throw it back in again. Do this a few times and your mixture will get softer and mushier - which is what you want. If it doesn't have some mushy consistency, the meat will be too chunky when you bite into it rather than tender. But not too mushy. If it starts getting watery - you've gone too far.

Wrappers:

You can buy potsticker wrappers (usually with the wonton wrappers at the Asian store - you'll probably need 2 packs) although I find that they are way thicker than I would make them and if your wrapper is thinner, it will be crispier when you cook it up. You can make the wrappers from scratch:

Take 2 cups of flour and slowly add water (between 1/2-3/4 cup) until it comes together into a dough. If it's too dry, just add a bit more water. Too wet, add a bit more flour.
Knead, knead, knead! Knead until the dough is soft and squishy.
If you have a pasta roller, roll out the dough to the third thinnest setting and use a round cookie cutter to cut the skins. If not, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it's quite thin - maybe about 1/4 cm thick and then use a round cookie cutter to cut out the wrappers. You need to work quickly once the rounds are cut as the dough will start to dry out. You can also use a damp cloth to cover whatever dough you're not working with.

To make potstickers:

Put a spoonful of the filling in the center of the wrapper. You may end up having to experiment a little with how much you put in to fill up the wrapper without overflowing.
Use your finger to dab water around the edge of half the wrapper, then fold the other side over the filling, touching the edges together (this is the no-pleat method).
Or, you can try to make the pleats. The trick to making the pleats is to touch the wet edge of the wrapper to the bottom of the backside of the pleat rather than the top of the pleat.
Repeat until you've used up all your filling or dough (whichever comes first). Usually I end up using up my dough before the filling, in which case, I use wonton wrappers to make wontons with the rest of the filling as it's much faster!!

Cooking the potstickers:

How do you cook these so that you get that slightly soft skin but with a bit of crunchiness? The way I do it is the following (I think this would work great with perogies too!):

Turn the heat on, put oil in the pan.
Put the potstickers down, then immediately put water into the pan - just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, then cover and let them cook until all the water evaporates. The water will cook the meat inside the potstickers.
Once all the water evaporates, all that will be left is the oil you put in originally which will make the bottoms crispy. Just shake them around the pan so they don't stick!
Enjoy with Chinese red vinegar with sliced ginger soaked in it (or Chinese black vinegar or Japanese gyoza dipping sauce!). Yum!

*recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia

"Back Blogging"

2010-02-10T21:32:00.003-07:00

I failed to mention last time the other reason I've decided to start this blog. I'm a Facebooker. I love it - it connects me to all the people I love - mostly my family both here in North America and in Asia. This is especially important to me since I've given birth to my son Devin almost 9 months ago. It also connects me to a lot of great friends - some who had suggested that I start this blog because I have been posting pictures of the dinners I've been making over the past couple of months. Now my pictures will just have a bit more commentary to them!

So to get things going, I'm going to do a little "back blogging" and blog about the meals I've posted to Facebook. So for those of you who have seen those pics already, well - you get to see them all again. But don't worry - I'll make sure my tummy juices are still munching away so there will be new stuff soon!

Let's Talk About...Food Baby!

2010-02-10T20:39:00.009-07:00

So this is the first time I've ever attempted to blog. I love reading other people's blogs and follow a few - but writing one myself? Not something I thought I would be doing - especially considering I've never enjoyed writing very much. That being said, perhaps I've never had anything that inspired me enough to write about?

Well, there is something I enjoy very much - food! I love cooking, I love eating. And yes, I love it enough to write about it! I have a huge passion for food and challenge myself constantly to try new foods and especially try cooking it myself. My family is Chinese but from Malaysia, so growing up, I was exposed to a lot of South Asian foods. We came to Canada when I was one - and thanks to the multiculturalism here, I've been able to broaden my culinary experiences. At this point, I can't say that there is any type of cuisine that I've tried that I don't enjoy on some level.

If you've found your way to this little blog - thank you for reading! I hope mostly to journal the food I make either from my own recipes or others (I follow a few food blogs and love trying their recipes - I am also a certified Food Networkaholic). I hope it inspires you to try cooking yourself and broadening your eating horizons!