Back from China!

Back from China!

Good bye insects and steamy weather!  Hello hot chocolate and icicles!

Hi everybody, recently I got back from my 4-month internship in Shanghai, China. I am sorry for not keeping up with the blog while I was away. I thought I could access my blog in China, but the firewalls blocked me.

There are many things to share about what I learned in China. I am looking forward telling you more. I discovered all kinds of Chinese cuisines and new and old traditions of food. I will post pictures from my experience in the blog.  Some might make you drool but be beware; some might be a bit disgusting.  However, experience is experience, no matter how revolting.

At least I can check ‘eat insects’ off my food-to-try list. It was my fault! I met some awesome deaf Chinese friends in Shanghai. I asked them to take me to restaurants where tourist usually don’t go and eat something that only the Chinese eat. Every week they took me to great places.

I was always looking forward to weekends with them, until that fateful day.

I should have known that when I said pure Chinese food, it would include insects! It doesn’t taste like chicken I can tell you that much! It wasn’t good for my poor taste buds or my teeth when one of the legs got stuck in between.  Shudder!

Here is one of many pictures from China. BUGS!

Rice and Spring Peas

Attention everybody! It is the pea season! (at least it is in Canada) That means it is a great time prepare dishes with peas. I bought a bunch of green snap peas at the local farm market, these are delicious and fresh straight from the local farm. Green peas are great with rice, tasty and of course also lovely to look at. It is better to cook it fresh but you can go ahead and substitute it for the frozen ones.

I used a rice cooker, if you don’t have one you can still make it the old fashioned way. Follow exactly the amount of the ingredient as shown below, but instead of the rice cooker use a small saucepan cover it, bring it to boiling then turn it to low to medium-low depending on your stove. Cook for 13 to 15 minutes; don’t take the cover off at all. Check after 13 to 15 minutes, taste the rice. If it is still slightly hard leave it for 1-2 more minutes. When it is finished, following the remaining recipe.

Enjoy this simple and healthy recipe!

Serves 4

1 ½ cups uncooked rice

1 tbsp granulated chicken stock powder

or 1 chicken bullion cube

1 ¾ cups water

1 tbsp sake

1 tsp light or regular soy sauce (you make this recipe without soy sauce)

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen peas, cooked (you only need to cook peas for one to two minutes after boiling)

salt

1.    Wash the rice well by swishing it around in a bowl of cold water, drain and repeat this until it clearer. It is ok if it is a bit cloudy. Drain and leave for 30 minutes before cooking.

2.    Mix the chicken stock powder with a bit of hot water then add more water to make 1 ¾ cups.

3.    Transfer the rice to a rice cooker or a saucepan, add chicken stock, sake and soy sauce.

4.    Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and lightly mix in the peas,  do it gently so as not to break up the rice or the peas. Season with a little salt and serve.

Conversion

Other day I was reviewing my blog, I noticed something. While most of the ingredients are Imperial or volume measurements I have included some weights and\or metric as well.  And sometimes I do both!  Sorry to my international readers for the confusion.

I grew up in Canada and I know the metric system too well and it has become part of my daily life. Then I went to study in Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and I quickly realized that the USA uses Imperial instead of metric. Can you imagine the panic I felt knowing that I have to study with a different system? I had to start over and learn Imperial, after awhile I got used to it.

When I finish with RIT, I thought I was finished with Imperial too. Life isn’t that simple, lots of recipes from chef’s school are in Imperial measurements or both.  If you have a problem converting try this link, which can change any weight to volume.

http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_volume_cooking.htm

I hope this will help make you more comfortable with my recipes and others where you need to convert. 

Chicken Lettuce Wrap

 I made this for my good friend Ann, she asked me to prepare a recipe that is similar to one she loves at her favourite restaurant P.F.Chang. It is also one of my favourite restaurants because they serve great Asian food.

I did some research and came up what I thought is close but not exactly the same. It still tastes good!

You use lettuce as the wrap, it is fun way to eat with a group. Through it can be messy, what is good food without a bit of mess. I used Boston lettuce in this wrap because it is shaped in a ball and has a nice curved shape. You can use any lettuce as long as it is big enough to wrap.

For the Chicken:

1 large egg white

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the Stir-Fry:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

4 scallions; 2 minced, 2 cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and diced

3/4 cup diced water chestnuts

Small lettuce leaves, for serving

Soy sauce, chili paste, hoisin, and/or hot mustard for serving

Directions

Prepare the chicken: Whisk the egg white, cornstarch and rice wine in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Make the stir-fry sauce: Whisk water, the oyster, hoisin and soy sauces, the rice wine and sesame oil in a bowl, then whisk in the cornstarch until dissolved.

Make the stir-fry: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes (make sure it is cooked). Remove to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet; when almost smoking, stir in the garlic, ginger, jalapeno and minced scallions, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms, chestnuts and scallion pieces and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the stir-fry sauce and chicken and cook 1 minute.

Serve with two plates, one with chicken and the other lettuce. You can add any of the cooking sauce to the wrap to add taste.

Adapted recipe from the food network. 

Ginger Pork

This was my very first Japanese dinner I made after I read “Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking.” I have made some changes since then but the basic recipe is the same. I remember the first time I made this, it took me 2 to 3 hours to finish. I was so slow, my poor parents were starved waiting for me!  Now, it takes me only 15 to 30 minutes prepare the same recipe.

Ginger is one of my favourite ingredients to use; I love the smell of ginger as I break it. Ginger goes wonderfully with pork and any meat really.

The pork needs to be thinly sliced or flattened with a hammer. Either way works fine.

I cook this with bean sprouts, which can be prepared in two ways, either trim the ends off or leave them. Either way they taste good. I usually leave them. (Mostly because it takes way too long to trim)

Serves 4

3 ½ cups bean sprouts

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Finely sliced pork (shoulder or loin)

Vegetable oil

1 clove thinly sliced garlic

salt and pepper

1.     Wash the bean sprouts well then pat dry and let them sit wrapped in paper towel.

2.     Mix together the soy sauce, mirin and grated ginger, and set beside the stove

3.     Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat, dip the pork into the marinade briefly and add to the pan.

4.     Making sure it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick together or curl up. Turn over after couple of minutes and cook until both sides are browned. Don’t leave the pork for long, as it cooks quickly but make sure it’s cooked through

5.     In a separate frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the sliced garlic. When the aroma is released, add the bean sprouts and stir-fry. Season with salt and pepper.

6.     Put the bean sprouts into a serving dish and then lay the slices of pork on top. Pour any remaining juice from the frying pan over the pork

Chilled Asian Noodle with Sesame Pork

A super fast mid-week meal.

This is one of my favourite noodle recipes, I love that I can easily make it and still have enough for leftovers next day. This is a very healthy recipe that is why I can eat it over and over without feeling guilty.

This dish is good to eat during the hot summer because the noodle is served cold after being cooked but the pork will be hot! Yum!

The kinds of noodle I usually use are pre-cooked miki noodles, this is a thick egg noodle. You can get that at an Asian grocery, I got mine from Loblaws in Canada but many Publix in the US carries it too.

Soba noodles are also good; this is a buckwheat noodle, very healthy. This recipe is great with chicken and fish as well.

You can make sesame dressing and it is good for up to one week stored in the fridge.

Pork loin centre thin chop, boneless fast fry (this may be called different things depending on where you live but pick a thin boneless cut and it will be fine.)

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dry sherry

2 tsp sesame oil

pinch of salt

2/3 cup cucumber

1 cup spring onion

vegetable oil

a little potato or corn starch – for dusting

one package of pre-cooked miki noodles (you can also use ready-to-cook chinese egg noodle)

Sesame dressing

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tbsp superfine sugar (you can do this without sugar, if you do just add 1 extra tbsp of rice vinegar)

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame paste (sometimes it is called tahini)

2 tbsp chicken stock

1.     Put each pork chop in a zipper bag then pound it with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Do it lightly because you can easily rip the pork apart.

2.     Marinate in the soy, dry sherry, sesame oil and little salt; set aside.

3.     Slice the cucumber diagonally and then cut each piece into thin strips, discarding the watery center. Slice the spring onions into thin julienne and then soak in water to take away any sharpness.

4.     Dressing: Mix together the soy, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame paste and chicken stock.

5.     Cook the noodles, following the instructions on the package. Running the noodle in icy water to cool and then drain

6.     Heat the oil in a pan. Dust the pork with potato starch and cook both sides carefully since the pork is thin and will cook quickly.

7.     Place the noodles into the bowls. Put the pork on top, garnish with cucumber and spring onions then pour over the sauce.