Easy Stir-Fry with Egg Tofu

Egg tofu is similar to a regular tofu but with whole egg added to give creamy and silky texture. It comes in tube and can be found in Asian grocery stores. My mother usually adds them in stir-fries and Indonesian-style spicy dish with preserved soybean paste called tauco. Traditionally, egg tofu is deep fried to create a crispy-brown skin. However, I improvise the cooking method to pan-fry with little oil. Tofu contains a lot of moisture and deep frying it is one messy business, trust me and you don't want to do that. I pan-fry the egg tofu slices in a non-stick frying pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. The result? Still the same crisp-brown skin texture.
 
The beauty of a stir-fry is that you can use up whatever left-over vegetables in your fridge and still able to turn them into a beautiful dish with a robust-flavoured sauce. This dish is one of the examples. 









Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4 to 5 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups snow peas (about 60 pieces)
• 1 medium sized carrots, sliced 
• 2 packets (245 g each) of egg tofu, sliced into 1 cm thick
• 1 cup cabbage 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
  

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp oyster flavoured sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 dashes of fish sauce (optional)
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) water
• 1/4 tbsp corn starch

METHOD: 

1. In a non-stick frying pan, spray cooking oil evenly. Heat up the pan and once hot, add egg tofu slices and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Gently, flip the egg tofu slices and pan-fry the other side until golden brown as well.Scoop and place on a plate
2. Trim the ends of snow peas and tear cabbage leaves with your hand. Rinse well 
3. In a bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix well 
4. Heat up a wok on high heat and add in the cooking oil. Once hot, sauté minced garlic for 30 seconds or until golden yellow
5. Add in sliced carrots, snow peas and cabbage. Stir for 3 or 4 minutes and pour in the sauce
6. Cook for another minute or so or to your preferred texture. Season with salt and black pepper to your taste
7. Add in the pan-fried egg tofu slices and stir gently not to break the tofu
8. Serve with warm rice

Braised Teochew Soy Sauce Duck (Loh Ark)

Chinese New Year is now 3 weeks away and I already look forward to having a great feast with my family here in Canada. As a young child, Chinese New Year was my favourite holiday as it was the season when I would receive lots of red packets (hong bao in Chinese Mandarin) and had the opportunity to eat so many delicacies, snacks and desserts for 15 days!

As promised in my last post, today I am featuring a great dish that is commonly served on Chinese New Year's Eve called Braised Teochew Soy Sauce Duck or simply named Loh Ark (Braised Duck in Fukien- Chinese dialect). Teochew, also known as Chiu Chow in Cantonese, is an ethnic originated from Southern China. Today, most Teochew people live in South East Asia, particularly Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Its cuisine is known for good soup stock, braising, steaming and poaching. Compared to other ethnic Chinese cooking, Teochew cooking is considered to be healthier. Today's dish: Braised Soy Sauce duck is a well-known Teochew specialty. If you happen to dine in a Teochew restaurants in Canada,you will have no difficulties finding this special duck on the menu.

The recipe that I am featuring today is somehow different to the braised ducks that you commonly find in Teochew restaurants in Canada. My mother-in-law's recipe incorporates lemongrass and galangal (lesser ginger). To my belief, the Teochew who migrated to South East Asia might have incorporated local ingredients into the original recipe which making this dish special! 


Ingredients from left to right: Chinese rock sugar, lemongrass, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, star anises, cloves and galangal









Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS:

Duck simmering in the flavour-packed sauce

• 1 young duck (about 3.5 to 4 lbs)
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, bruised
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 inches cinnamon stick
• 4 star anises
• 4 cloves 
• 1 inch of galangal 
• about 2 tbsp rock sugar
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce 

METHOD:

1. Run 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tsp five spice powder evenly all over the duck, including inside the cavity
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, mix together all ingredients with remaining salt and bring to a boil
3. Reduce toe heat to medium and gently lower the duck into the pot/Dutch oven. Cover the lid, turn up the heat to boil, then lower to medium
4. For the first 25 minutes, baste the duck every 5 minutes or so to colour it evenly
5. Cover and simmer for another 60 to 80 minutes or until the meat is tender
6. To check for doneness, lift up the duck and poke it in the thigh with a chopstick or knife. The juice should run clear 
7. Turn of the heat and if desired, leave the duck in the pot with its sauce overnight for in-depth flavour 
8. Skim the fat off the sauce and drizzle the sauce over the duck before serving

Chinese Steamed Black Pepper Pork Ribs

First of all, Spice Divas would like to wish you a Happy New Year. We hope you had a good Christmas with your family and friends. Christmas is one of our favourite holidays as it is filled with laughter, tons of food and good wine (for sure)! 

The year of 2013 has been great to us. We have more readership and managed to post more recipes to share with our readers. If you really really love our site and recipes, we strongly encourage you (ok, maybe begging you) to pass the word: forward our link to your family and friends. This blog was created out of our passion to cook and share with you all. Leave us comments in our blog. We would love to hear from you! 

As for myself, 2013 has been a great year. With all hard work and perseverance, I am happy to announce that my son, baby A, who is 17 months old now is free of eczema. He was on a special elimination diet for 4 months and we now are able to find certain foods that trigger his itchiness. As for now, he is able to tolerate wheat and dairy. We still have more allergens and food to introduce to see his reactions. The journey will not be short but I am sure it will be a fruitful one. Ever since Baby A was diagnosed with eczema, I have become more aware of this chronic skin disease. I did my research and was told by health professionals that eczema, unfortunately, has no cure. There are treatments only and he will grow out of it. But the question was: how long do we have to wait? Do we need to just sit and do nothing and wait for him to grow out of it while he is itchy here and there? 

With the success story that I have, I am hoping to be able to help mothers out there who have children who suffer from multiple allergies or eczema that triggered by food sensitivities or allergies. In the course of 4 months of elimination diet, I have developed recipes that are allergy-free and are baby/toddler friendly. In the coming year of 2014, I will share those recipes and hopefully, able to inspire mothers that living allergy-free may not be hard at all! We also received some emails from our viewers if we will eventually be blogging on dot com. We are happy to announce that we are working hard and on our way to launch our website to dot com, so stay tuned! We will also get our site exposed to social media so be prepared to see us launching our account on facebook, pinterest and twitter!

New Year is only one sleep away but my mind is already ahead of celebrating Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year will fall on January 31st in 2014. In South East and East Asia, it is the biggest celebration, just like Christmas in the western hemisphere. The holiday is celebrated for 15 days with family and friends visiting, chatting over plates of food as well as Chinese New Year snacks and cookies. I will be posting more recipes to come in the near future so you can celebrate Chinese New Year with your family and friends in style! 

Today I am featuring a Chinese Steamed Black Pepper Pork Ribs. This dish is juicy, succulent and flavoured with the spiciness from black pepper sauce and the sweetness from honey. It is one of my favourites and my mother-in-law loves this dish dearly when she came to visit this summer. I think it is a perfect dish to serve on Chinese New Year's Eve or even any other weekday dinners. 

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.2 kg pork side ribs (request your butcher to cut into bite sizes)
• 3 1/2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee brand black pepper sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp corn starch

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, mix the black pepper sauce, garlic, soy sauce and honey with a spoon till uniform
2. Place bite-sized pork side ribs in a heat-proof dish, pour the sauce in and mix well 
3. Add in the corn starch, mix uniformly and marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge. Best if left marinated overnight
4. In a steamer, boil water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, place the pork side ribs (with the heat-proof dish) in a steamer
5. Steam for 35 minutes and best served warm

Sauteed Japanese Pumpkin (Kabocha) and Bitter Melon

How time flies and I have been back to work for more than a month now. The transition was challenging at first but now, both my son and I have adjusted well. 

I happened to make this stir fry when I found a left-over Japanese pumpkin (Kabocha) in my fridge. Out of all pumpkins/squashes, this is probably the best one! It is sweet, buttery and simply best when roasted. 

I bought this buttery pumpkin to create a "mock" macaroni and cheese for my 1 year old son. My son is suffering from eczema and has various food sensitivities/allergies. Prior to knowing his allergies, he liked macaroni and cheese. Unfortunately, dairy is no longer part of his diet so I stumbled across a website sharing recipe for a "mock" macaroni and cheese using this pumpkin. As you are aware of, one year old's appetite is not as much as ours. I have more than 3/4 pumpkin left in the fridge and was thinking to make curry. But then, I found Chinese bitter melons in the fridge. Long story short, I came with an idea to stir fry these 2 vegetables, what a contrast in colour and flavour. One is better while another is sweet. They complement each other, trust me. I think this is an excellent dish for someone who does not or has not tried bitter melon. The sweetness from pumpkin reduces the bitterness from the melon. 

For a vegetarian option, you can omit the dried shrimps and substitute oyster sauce with a "vegetarian" version.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups bite-sized Japanese pumpkin (Kabocha)
• 2 medium size bitter melons
• 4 tbsp dried shrimps, soaked for 10 minutes and rinsed
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 slices ginger
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 dried chili

METHOD: 

1. Cut bitter melons into half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and soft white parts with a spoon. Cut into bite sizes and rinse
2. In a pan, heat up cooking oil and fry minced garlic, ginger slices and dried shrimps till golden brown
3.  Add in bitter melon and pumpkin. Stir for a minute
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook till boil
5. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens

After 4 months of no activity, I am glad to be back in action again. Cooking has been quite challenging with a baby crawling all over the house. My son has just celebrated his 1st birthday and am glad I now have some time on my own while he is in a daycare. Soon, I will be returning to work. Hence, I am now cooking like a storm and freeze some dishes for busy days ahead. The Chinese style Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens is in my cooking list this week. 

If you grew up in a Chinese family, you probably know this dish. It's called Mui Choy Khau Yoke, a traditional Hakka meat dish known with its rich fatty flavour, saltiness from preserved mustard greens and sweetness from sweet soy sauce. It is served in many Chinese restaurants here in Canada and our family's favourite dish.

Roasted Pork Belly

I grew up in a restaurant environment. My mother runs an Indonesian-Chinese restaurant in Indonesia and she serves this dish every Sunday. By noon, the Mui Choy Khau Yoke will be sold out. Making this dish is quite troublesome as the traditional method requires you to deep-fry the pork belly, then steam the pork slices with other ingredients for 3 to 4 hours. Personally, I do not have the time to spend hours in the kitchen, not when my 1 year old toddler running around the house (that's the reason why I have not updated this blog for quite a while). Cooking in the kitchen at my own time is now a precious moment. Since my son starts to crawl, I no longer have the time to cook and take notes of every recipe in the kitchen. My son is now in a daycare so I thought of cooking this dish and feature it on our blog.

In this post, I have revised my mother's traditional recipe to adapt to our busy lifestyle. Instead of making crispy pork belly from scratch, I buy a readily roasted pork belly from a Chinese grocery store. Also, I opt for braising this pork belly dish in a slow cooker instead of steaming for 3 to 4 hours. I could have used those hours to run errands and by the time I got home, voila! A delicious dish perfect for a family dinner. It is so moist and tender that it melts in your mouth. Best served with a bowl of steamed rice. I am confident that my mother approves this dish and be proud of me.

From left: Dried shrimps, shitake mushrooms, preserved mustard greens, dried squids

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 8 - 10

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs of roasted pork belly, cut into 1 cm thickness
• 1 bunch of Chinese preserved mustard greens
• 9 dried shitake mushrooms
• 1/2 cup dried shrimps
• 1/4 cup dried squids, shredded
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 1/2 cups water
• ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine

METHOD: 

1. Soak 1 bunch of Chinese preserved mustard greens for 2 hours. Rinse thoroughly and cut the greens into 1 cm length
2. Meanwhile, soak dried shitake mushrooms with boiling water for 20 minutes. Once soft, slice mushrooms thinly
3. In a separate bowl, soak dried shrimps and squids for 20 minutes. Rinse 
4. In a small bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), chinese cooking wine and water. Mix the sauce well with a spoon 
5. Heat up cooking oil in a pan. Once hot, saute minced garlic till golden brown
6. Add in the preserved mustard greens, dried shrimps, squids and shitake mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes or until fragrant
7. Mix in the sauce, stir and cook till wait. Lower heat and simmer for another 15 minutes
8. In a slow cooker, arrange roasted pork belly slices evenly
9. Add in the cooked ingredients with its sauce and cook for 3 hours

D'Licious Bok Choy with Mock Meat

Happy spring, everyone! Boy, the temperature is getting warmer and the air even smells different! Soon enough, we will be spending more time outside with gardening, entertaining and barbecuing. My life has certainly changed to a different stage since the arrival of the little one. There's limited time to sit down and writing this blog. I still cook, well almost every day but I tend to cook in a hurry. Thus, noting down recipes can be quite tedious. 

When it comes to spring, one can think of spring cleaning. There's another side of spring cleaning that you can try: detox your system by eating meatless meal. In this dish, crispy bok-choy is served with texturized soy protein and shitake mushrooms. It's simple, light yet elegant. Texturized soy protein can be purchased at health food stores or any bulk stores.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4 - 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb of green bok-choy
• 4 dried Shitake mushrooms
• 1 cup texturized soy protein
• 1 tbsp cooking oil 
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 slices of ginger
• 2 tbsp vegetarian style "oyster" sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp corn starch

METHOD: 

1. Soak dried shitake mushrooms and texturized soy proteins with boiling water for 20 minutes. Once soft, slice mushrooms thinly and cut the soy proteins into cubes
2. In a small bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vegetarian style "oyster" sauce, water and corn starch. Mix well with a spoon
3. In a pot of boiling water, blanch bok-choy for 2 to 3 minutes. Place the bok-choy on a serving plate
4. In a small pan, heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil and sesame oil
5. Once hot, add in the garlic and ginger and cook till the garlic turns golden brown
6. Stir in the mushrooms and texturized soy protein. Cook for another 3 minutes 
7. Add in the sauce, cook till boil and pour over the bok-choy

Chinese Daikon (Radish) Soup

Warm and nourishing, this soup is simple and packed with flavours. A good choice to make in the winter time. The daikons are so soft and tender. They are also good source of fibre. Chinese daikon (white radish) can be easily found in Vietnamese restaurants as pickles. In Chinese cooking, it can be found in stir fries, soups and steamed cakes. This soup is known to aid digestion and upset stomach. It is also believed to have cleansing properties and moisturizing our lungs.

The philosophy of Yin (cold) and Yang (hot) is the centre of Chinese culture and diet. Neither Yin nor Yang is bad. In order to achieve an optimal state of health, one must balance these 2 energies in their body. Hence, food choices and cooking method are very important. Yin food tend to be cold and provides moisture to the body. Some of the example of Yin foods are cucumber, daikon, watercress and cabbage. Yang is perceived to be hot and warms your body. Sesame oil, wine, ginger and hot peppers are some of the examples of Yang food. 

This Chinese Daikon (Radish) Soup is a reflection of Yin and Yang balance in Chinese diet. The coldness of Chinese daikons is balanced with the heat from ginger. Should you want to make this soup in the summer time, then, you can remove the ginger so the "coldness" of the soup can calm your body in the summer heat.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb pork neck bone or pork ribs (request your butcher to cut into small pieces)
• 1 medium white radish 
• 1 small green radish  
• 1 carrot
• 4 dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 tomato
• 1 can of chicken broth 
• 3 tbsp goji berries
• 1 knob of ginger, bruised
• 2 L water
• 1/2 tbsp salt

METHOD: 

1. Soak dried shitake mushrooms with boiling water for 20 minutes. Once soft, cut into quarters
2. In a soup pot, cover 1 lb of pork neck bone or pork ribs with enough water and bring to a boil to remove impurities
3. Drain and clean the pork bones/pork ribs with cold water
4. In a clean soup pot, boil 2 L of water with 1 can of chicken broth and add in cleaned pork bone, ginger, goji berries and 1/2 tbsp of salt. Once boiled, lower the heat and cook for another 15 minutes
5. Cut the white and green radishes, carrots and tomatoes into bite sizes
6. Add into the soup pot, bring to boil
7. Once boiled, bring the heat lower and simmer for another hour

Chinese Style Steamed Fish

This year, Chinese New Year (Chinese Spring Festival) falls on February 10. Just like Christmas in the Western world, Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration and most significant event in Chinese community. It marks the first day of the first month of lunar calendar. The New Year is celebrated for 15 days with lots of family reunions, plenty of food and children wishing well wishes to the elderly and receive red pockets with money in return. Family members from near and far away will come home to eat dinner on the Eve of Chinese New Year. 

The festive dinner is a well spread of duck, chicken, fish, fresh vegetables and other symbolic foods in accordance to specific Chinese ethnic. My family is a Fukien (part of Southern China) and longevity noodle is a must to be served on the Eve of Chinese New Year to symbolize long lives. Fish and chicken/duck must be served whole with its head and tail/feet. To some, this may look unappetizing but to Chinese, serving fish whole is a symbol of abundance and wishing for a good beginning and end.

Chinese style steamed fish is usually served in every household on the Chinese New Year's eve. The most important key to this dish is to use the freshest fish you could find. The fish is then steamed with a mixture soy sauce and black bean sauce, top with shredded ginger and green onions. Tomatoes are not commonly used in this dish but I grew up eating steamed fish with tomatoes. My mother likes to add in tomatoes for a kick of refreshing taste and sourness. This dish is so simple and can also be served for your everyday meal.

I wish all you all a healthy, happy and prosperous year. Gong Hey Fat Choi! Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole fish such as tilapia, white pomfret or green sea bass
• 3 spring onions, finely julienned
• 1 thumb size ginger, finely julienned to the thinnest strips you can manage
• 1 tomato, quartered 
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the sauce: 

• 2 1/2 tbsp Lee Kum Kee brand Seasoned Soy Sauce for Fish
• 1 tsp black bean sauce
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

METHOD: 

1. Lay 1/2 amount of finely julienned ginger and green onions on a heat-proof plate. Lay the fish on top
2. Cut a tomato into 8 wedges and place them surrounding the fish
3. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together and pour onto the fish 
4. Add another 1/4 amount of julienned ginger and green onions on top of the fish
5. Heat up enough water in a steamer. Once boiled, steam the fish on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes
6. Meanwhile, heat up 1 tbsp cooking oil in a pan. Fry the minced garlic till golden brown 
7. Once the dish is done, add the remaining julienned ginger and green onions on top
8. Finally, drizzle the crispy garlic and its oil on top 

Hoisin Glazed Salmon

Salmons are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which is a healthy fat for heart health. It is also a fatty acid that is important for brain and eye development. We are fortunate to live in a country where this fish is abundant and pretty affordable. Salmons, like any other kind of seafood, do not require hours of cooking in the kitchen. In this hoisin glazed salmon recipe, you need no less than 20 minutes cooking time and 4 ingredients. If you are a type of person who likes less than 5 ingredients type of cooking, I am confident this is the one for you. 

Hoisin is a Chinese sauce made with fermented soybeans. It is sweet, umami and quite addictive. It is used commonly in Chinese cooking but also used as a dipping sauce for Vietnamese fresh rice rolls. You can purchase Hoisin sauce in any grocery stores. See below for the recipe and may you enjoy this Omega-3 laden fish in your diet!

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 salmon steaks
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce and another tablespoon for brushing
• Pinch of salt
• Black pepper
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
 

METHOD: 

1. Marinate the salmon steaks with 2 tbsp hoisin sauce, salt and pepper. Leave for 10 minutes
2. Heat up oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and bake the salmon steaks for 10 to 12 minutes. For every 5 minutes, brush the steaks with 1 tbsp hoisin sauce 
3. Once cooked, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

Note: Cooking time for salmon can be vary, depending on the thickness of the steaks. Adjust accordingly. Once cooked, fish should flake easily with a fork

Steamed Tofu with Mushrooms

This is an excellent vegetarian dish to make if you want a light meal; packed with bold flavours from ginger and sesame oil. It's easy to make and requires no less than 15 minutes cooking time. I like to serve it on a bed of brown rice and stir fry bok-choy for a good crunch. In this recipe, I use dried shitake mushrooms and black wood ear fungus. If you have never cooked with wood ear fungus, you will love it! It has woody flavour and cruncy texture. It's commonly used in Asian cooking such as salads, stir fries and soups. I usually use silken tofu for steaming as it has soft and velvety texture. Happy Steaming!

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 4 

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 pack (454 g) silken tofu
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 thumb sized ginger
• 1 green onion
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
 

METHOD: 

1. Soak dried shitake mushrooms and black wood ear fungus in hot boiling water for 20 minutes. Once soft, slice shitake thinly and cut the fungus into bite-sized pieces
2. Slice ginger into thin julienne strips and slice green onions diagonally 
3. Meanwhile, cut the tofu into desired thickness and place into heat-proof dishware
4. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, shitake and wood ear fungus together 
5. Layer the tofu with seasoned mushrooms with its sauce, ginger, chopped garlic and green onions
6. Steam for 10 minutes 

Note: If you do not have a steamer, you can place the tofu in a baking tray, covered with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Classic Chinese Chow Mein

This classic chow mein only require several main ingredients: noodle, bean sprouts, onion, green onions and seasonings. I love the simplicity of this dish and its flavour should not be undermined. If you want to add in some proteins, you can do so with beef or chicken. The secret of this recipe is similar to the Chinese fried rice. A high heat cooking is required to get the toasty flavour. Thus, I recommend you to lay out all ingredients and seasonings on kitchen counter.

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pack (454 g/1 lb) chow mein noodle
• 3 L water
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 1 bunch green onion, cut into 2" length
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (for vegetarian option: you can use vegetarian style "oyster" sauce)
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 6 tbsp cooking oil 
• 4 tbsp water
• white pepper to taste
• toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

 METHOD: 

1. In a pot, boil 3 L of water and cook the noodle for about 2 minutes
2. Drain and rinse the noodle to wash off starch
3. In a wok, heat up cooking oil till smoking hot. Add in onion and garlic, cook till golden brown
4. Stir in green onions and cook for another minute
5. Add in the noodle, all seasonings and 3 tbsp water, stir until uniform. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes
6. Lastly, add in bean sprouts and stir for another 2 minutes
7. Serve with toasted seeds

Pork and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are a light summer appetizer that is easy to make. These are non vegetarian but I sometimes make a vegetarian option by substituting the pork with four kinds of mushrooms - shitake, oyster, cremini and white button. My first encounter with lettuce wraps was when my sister took me to P.F. Chang's where they presented it beautifully with three kinds of dipping sauces. This is a variation of the original and I have no dipping sauces just hoisin sauce added to the mixture. Perfect for the summer, this appetizer is bursting with flavour and colour with a nice variation in texture provided by celery and water chestnuts. Enjoy!

water chestnut

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 6 - 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb (454 g) lean ground pork
• 2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup each yellow and red or orange bell pepper
• 3 stalks of celery sliced
• 1 cups of sliced water chestnuts
• 3 green onions sliced
• 1 inch piece of ginger chopped fine
• 1/4 tsp each chili flakes, salt and black pepper (to taste)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce (available at most local supermarkets or in Chinese stores)
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 2 heads of Boston lettuce
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil

METHOD :

1. Combine hoisin sauce and cornstarch with 3/4 cup of water and set aside
2. Add pork to a pan, break up large pieces and heat through till cooked and no longer pink. 
3. Remove pork and drain all fat and wipe the pan clean
4. Sauté onions, ginger and garlic till transparent, add mushrooms and cook. Add celery, peppers and water chestnuts until vegetables are cooked but still crisp
5. Add pork to the vegetables, season and mix well
6. Add hoisin and corn starch mixture and cook until the starch thickens 
7. Serve with lettuce

Fish Rice Congee

Jook or rice congee is a Chinese version of comfort food. It is most commonly eaten as breakfast or as a comfort when you are not feeling well. It is also the first solid food mothers like to introduce to their babies as it is easily swallowed. Rice congee is made of rice that is cooked in either plain or flavoured broth for a period of time to obtain soft and silky texture. Chicken, ground pork, fish or shrimps can be added as a source of protein. I have also seen other varieties of jook. Koreans like to add oysters, abalones and pine nuts into the congee. Others like to cook the congee with root vegetables. Decades ago, when rice was scarce during war time, my grandparents would mix rice congee with sweet potatoes to feed the whole family. Needless to say, it becomes my parents' favourite.

One of my favourite rice congees is fish congee. In this recipe, I use basa fillet and flavour the broth with lots of ginger. Instead of making chicken noodle soup for your cold, why don't you give rice congee a try?

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves:3 - 4

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1 cup Thai jasmine rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 can chicken broth
• 6 slices of ginger
• 1 L water
• 2 tbsp of preserved vegetables (dung chai), rinsed
• 1 pieces of Basa fillet, sliced thinly
• White pepper to taste

Toppings:

• 8-10 thin slices of ginger, cut into julienned strips
• a handful of cilantro/coriander
• Chinese pickles such as pickled cucumbers, turnips, olives
• Soy sauce 
• Sesame oil

 METHOD: 

1. Rinse and soak the uncooked rice overnight in a bowl, drain
2. Boil the water in a pot with chicken broth, preserved vegetables and ginger slices over high heat
3. Add in the rice and cook until boil. Lower heat and simmer for 3- to 40 minutes, half covered. Stir every 5 minutes
4. If the congee is too thick, you can add in hot boiling water bit by bit
5. Once the congee has turned into silky smooth texture, add in the sliced basa fillet
6. Cook for another 10 minutes
7. Serve with sesame oil, ginger, cilantro or any of your favourite toppings

A Perfect -10 Chinese Fried Rice!

Ever wonder why the fried rice that you cook is mushy while the one that you get from Chinese take-out across the street is so light and fluffy? Well, look no further because I have a Perfect-10 Chinese Fried Rice recipe. My recipe gives a light, fluffy and flavourful rice that I am confident you and your guests will go for a second helping without being shy. Let me share some secrets of making the perfect fried rice:

• You must use overnight cooked long grain rice (preferably Thai Jasmine). I repeat: overnight cooked rice is a MUST. So, if you think you want to have a plate of fried rice right away to satisfy your craving...I'm afraid that will not happen unless if you happen to have leftover cooked rice in your fridge
• If you want to add eggs in this dish, you need to make sure that you scramble the eggs until well done before you add in the rice. Adding in rice while your eggs are not fully cooked will give you mushy rice. PATIENCE is the key
• You must use enough cooking oil for fried rice. This will glisten your fried rice without burning them
• Lastly, you need to make sure your pan is really really hot when you cook fried rice. This will give you light and toasty fried rice. If you are not comfortable cooking with high heat, I recommend that you prepare all ingredients ahead and lay them out on your kitchen counter

Skill Level: Easy 

Serves: 4-5

INGREDIENTS: 

• 5 cups cooked Thai jasmine rice, overnight in fridge 
• 1 Chinese sausage (optional) 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans) 
• 2 tbsp fish sauce 
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 
• 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce 
• 6 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced 
• 2 dashes of white or black pepper

METHODS: 

1. In a wok or cooking pan, add in cooking oil and Chinese sausages and cook under high heat
2. Once hot, add in garlic and saute until fragrant 
3. Pour in the eggs, let sit for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir until cooked and dry 
4. Add in the frozen vegetables and cook for another 3 minutes
5. Pour in the cooked rice, stir 
6. Add in fish sauce, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Stir until rice is uniformly coated with the wet ingredients
7. If you like it hot, you can add in Sriracha hot sauce, black/white peppers
8. Cook for another 5 minutes or until you hear some "toasted popping" sounds from your pan. That tells you that your rice is toasted and it's time to turn off the pan 
9. Serves hot with cucumbers if you like

Braised Soy Sauce Pork

The weather has not been overly cold this winter. However, it does not stop me thinking of comfort food. Chinese style braised soy sauce pork is one of my favourite comfort food. It was one of a few dishes that I learned to cook when I was living away from home. Traditionally, pork belly is used but I substitute it with pork butt to cut down the fat. This dish is uniquely Chinese but I cook with a South East Asian twist by adding fish sauce, spices and sweet soy sauce. Who knows, maybe my comfort food will become yours this winter?

Skill Level: Easy

Serves: 10 - 12

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lb pork butt, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 5 slices of ginger 
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce (for colour) 
• 4 tbsp kecap (ketjap) manis (omit if not available)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce 
• 3 tbsp soy sauce 
• 2 cup water
• 2 star anises
• 1/2 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tbsp brown sugar 
• Salt and white pepper to taste 

METHOD:

1. In a pot or dutch oven, heat up cooking oil and add in garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant
2. Add in pork butt and cook for another 5-7 minutes
3. Add the rest of ingredients, except brown sugar, and cook until boil
4. Lower down the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender
5. Mix in brown sugar and hard boiled eggs 
6. Add salt and pepper to your taste and cook for another 10 minutes
7. Serves with steamed rice