Almond Jello.....

Anyone have a good almond jello recipe? I love the stuff, but am thinking it would be awesome if I could make it from scratch, instead of that pink box.....Anyone?

Chinese Style Steamed fish

1 pound whole fish

Ingredients:
(A) The 'bed':

4 stalks, scallions - cut into 3″ lengths
3″ piece of ginger - slice into “coins”

small bunch of cilantro

1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine to pour on fish prior to steaming (or any cooking wine like dry sherry)

salt & pepper

(B)The sauce:

2 tablespoons rough chopped

cilantro

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper if you don’t have white)

fresh chilli - thinly sliced (optional)

(C) Last step:

2 stalks, scallions - cut into 3″ lengths

2″ piece of ginger - finely julienned

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Equipment: shallow pan to hold fish & large pot or wok for steaming. If you don’t have a fancy steamer or steamer insert, take a shallow-ish bowl and invert to use as a stand.

1. Clean & Stuff: Clean your fish, pat dry. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Take half of (A) and stuff inside the fish.

2. Take the other half of (A) and lay it in a shallow pan. If fish is too long, cut in half. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine on top of the fish.

3. Steam: Add 2″ of water to your large pot, cover and boil. When it is boiling, uncover and wipe the inside of the cover clean of any condensation (all this condensation will drip back down on your fish, diluting the flavor) Put your fish pan inside, propped up with a small inverted bowl.

Steam the fish on medium.

Whole fish 1 lb: check at 12 minutes, add 2 minutes for every 1/2 lb

Check to see if its done at the times indicated. Poke your chopstick at the flesh near the top fin. If flesh flakes easily near the top fin, then its done. If flesh sticks together still, then add 1-2 more minutes to cooking time. Also check to make sure you haven’t run out of steaming water.

4. Take a microwave-safe bowl, add (B) and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside. When fish is done steaming, carefully lift the fish out onto a serving platter, discarding all of the cooked cilantro/ginger/scallions and the fish juice in the pan. Pour the hot (B) over fish.

5. Prepare (C) in a separate pan, heat up cooking oil until you see smoke. Add the ginger and scallions, fry for 10 seconds to “pop” the flavors, then pour over the fish. You’ll hear a very satisfying sizzle so be careful!

Chicken Satay

Okay, so this is not exactly a recipe....ha ha...the recipe is on the box. But this satay is good, really good. I got it at Ranch 99, but it can be hard to find. It might not be in the section that you think it is. I couldn't find it in the thai sauce section, but over in the next aisle. Very tricky. Anyhow, you marinate the chicken in the sauce. Grill it, then cook the sauce. It's really good sauce, spicy and peanuty. Yum.

Ovenbaked Chicken Wings and Drumsticks

Sorry, no picture with this. But if you make it, feel free to put a picture up. Simple and very tasty! 

Oh, also, 2kg = 4.4lbs, and 180degC is 350degF. I am not from the US, so I measure with wierd scales and thermometers! At least 30 minutes here means 30 minutes there too! :-)

Ingredients

- Upto 2kg of Chicken drumsticks and wings 

Marinade

- 1 peeled onion

- 3 garlic

- 3 tbsp of water

- 6-7 tbsp of oyster sauce

- 5 tbsp of hoisin sauce

- 3 tbsp of soya sauce

- 5 tbsp of sugar

Instruction

1. Cut peeled onions small enough so that it can be blended without jamming your blender and causing subsequent explosion. :-) Then place all ingredients for the marinade into the blender and blend into a thick sauce.

2. Marinate chicken with the blended sauce for at least 4 hours in the fridge. The longer the marinating process the better. It also helps to poke little holes into the chicken before marinating. Just lets the marinade go through the chicken better.

3. Foil an deep oven tray. Place marinated chicken on tray and pour in any left over sauce. 

4. Preheat oven to 180 degC, fan forced. 

5. Bake chicken for 30 minutes or until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through.

Baked Doughnuts Recipe

Don't over bake these, if anything, under bake them a bit - they will continue baking outside the oven for a few minutes. You want an interior that is moist and tender - not dry. Also, be sure to cut big enough holes in the center of your doughnuts - too small and they will bake entirely shut. Remember they rise, and they rise even more when they are baking. These really need to be made-to-order, but you can make and shape the dough the night before if you want to serve them for brunch. Instructions: after shaping, place doughnuts on baking sheet, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Pull them out an hour before baking, and let rise in a warm place before baking.

My note: I would bake as many as you can eat right away, then do this refrigeration bit. They really only taste good hot hot hot!

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001561.html

1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided)
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour (alternately, white whole wheat might work - haven't tried it yet)
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Most people (like myself) don't have a doughnut cutter, instead I use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.

Bouchon Quiche Recipe

This is a superb quiche. It's the quiche from Bouchon, you know Thomas Keller? They have one in Vegas and if you get the chance, go get the quiche! If you like quiche, it's just amazing.

Below is my version of his recipe. More info on this quiche can be found at
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/12/sunday-brunch-thomas-kellers-quiche.html
This does take a while to make, so be prepared. So worth it. You can also use whatever fillings and cheese that you like. These are just the ones that I like. Probably not so good with cheddar or monterey jack, though. :)

Bouchon Quiche Recipe

Pie Crust (I use Trader Joes Pie Shells)
Preheat oven to 375.
Line the tart pan with parchment paper. I cut a long strip for the sides, and then cut a circle to just fit the bottom. Roll out piecrust to fit 9x2 removable bottom tart pan. Make sure there is enough to go fold over the top edge of pan. This will keep the crust from shrinking when baking. Line the bottom and sides with a sheet of parchment paper (yes, two layers of parchment total). Be careful getting the parchment in, you don't want to tear the pie crust. Trim pie crust if there is a lot of excess hanging down the sides. You still need some to go over the edge, but the excess can be used for repairs after the first 15 min. Use pie weights and strips of foil to cover the edges of the crust and hold them in place. Place on jellyroll pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the weights, parchment and foil. Bake another 10 minutes. Also, make sure there are absolutely no holes or thin spots in the crust (can cause leaking batter – if batter leaks, that just means less fluffy filling)

Quiche Filling (I usually do this earlier in the day, like after lunch and a few hour later, I start the rest)
6 ounces each shredded Fontina and Gruyere cheeses ( I had extra leftover)
6 slices bacon, finely chopped
½ bag frozen chopped spinach
1 large onion, finely diced

On medium high, sauté the bacon to render the fat. Remove the bacon oil. Add chopped onion and cook until soft. Defrost the spinach and squeeze out all the water. Separate. Scatter half the filling (bacon and onion, cheese and spinach) evenly into the hot quiche shell (still on the jelly roll pan)

Quiche Batter
2 cups milk + 2 tablespoons
2 cups heavy cream
6-7 large eggs
1-tablespoon kosher salt (maybe a little less if your filling has bacon)
¼ tsp ground white pepper (I used black pepper)
6 gratings fresh nutmeg

Combine the milk and cream in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until scalded (a skin begins to form on the surface). Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly 10-15 minutes. Put 3 eggs, half the milk and cream mixture, 1.5 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and 3 gratings of nutmeg in blender and blend on low for 5 seconds to mix, then increase to high for 30 seconds till light and foamy. This is the first layer of the quiche.

Blend the batter once more and pour enough of the batter to cover the filling and fill halfway. Top the batter with the remaining filling ingredients. Blend the remaining batter ingredients once more and fill the quiche shell all the way to the top. You may have some batter left over. Be careful when transferring to the oven, you might want to fill the very last drops when it’s in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes. The filling level will drop. Pour in the remaining batter to fill to the top. There may be leftover batter.

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes (maybe more) until the top of the quiche is browned and the custard is set with the pan is jiggled. Remove the quiche from the oven and let stand 15 min before serving, or cool, then refrigerate until chilled (up to 3 days). Once the quiche is chilled, using a metal bench scraper or sharp knife, scrape the excess crust from the top edge. Return to fridge until ready to serve. The quiche will slice cleaner if it is fully chilled first. So this is best made the day before you plan on eating it.

To serve, heat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with oiled parchment paper. Using a long serrated knife, and supporting the sides of the crust with our opposite hand, carefully cut thru the edge of the crust in a sawing motion. Switch to a long slicing knife and cut thru the custard and bottom curst. Repeat, cutting into 8-10 pcs. Place the pcs on the baking sheet and reheat for 15 minutes.

PS. the picture above is the quiche in the article, not the quiche for this recipe

Chicken Risotto

7 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
2 cups Arborio rice
freshly ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, about 2-3 pieces breast or thighs, skin removed

3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

1/3 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

Warm 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until done. Remove and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to skillet, and stir in the onions. Cook until carmelized. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in chicken, parmesan cheese and green onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Note: This recipe is very flexible. You may replace the chicken with just about anything : mushrooms, asparagus, shrimp, crab meat, lobster, etc.

Hoisin Sauce Short Ribs

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds short ribs
* 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 3 tablespoons ketchup
* 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped/or garlic powder

Preparation:

Cut the spareribs apart.Combine the light soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup, rice wine or sherry, brown sugar, and the chopped garlic or garlic powder. Pour over the spareribs.

For a more enhanced taste: Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally to make sure the ribs are thoroughly coated.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, or until the ribs just begin shrinking and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Optional: Brush the spareribs several times with the honey and water mixture during roasting. Remove and cool.

Serves 4-6.

Pork chop and cabbage casserole

1 small head cabbage, shredded
4 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
salt to taste
1 10.75 oz can condensed cream of chicken/mushroom soup
½ 10.75 oz can water
1 small onion, diced
4 pork chops

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Place a layer of shredded cabbage into baking dish and then a layer of sliced potatoes. Repeat cabbage and potatoes and salt.

Simmer the soup, water and diced onion. Pour over cabbage and potatoes.

Bake covered for 45 hour. Meanwhile in a skillet, brown each pork chop in a small amount of oil and place on top of mixture and bake 20 more minutes or until chops are tender and potatoes are soft.

Chicken Claypot rice

2 cups rice, washed and drained
3 cups chicken stock
2 chicken drumsticks cut into pieces (bone in chicken pieces can also be used)
5 Chinese mushrooms, soaked, cut into half
1 Chinese sausage, sliced
1 ½ cm thick salted fish, sliced thinly, fried till crispy (optional)
1 tbsp black soya sauce
4 tbsp garlic oil
Green onions for garnish

Marinade:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp of ginger juice (grated a knob of ginger and squeeze)
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp sugar
½ tbsp corn flour

Mix chicken, mushrooms with marinade and ginger, season for 30 minutes.

Put rice and chicken stock into a clay pot, cover and bring to boil lower fire and cook with low heat till holes are formed on top. (About 15 minutes)

Spread marinated chickens and mushrooms, Chinese sausage on top, cover and cook with low heat till rice is dry and chicken pieces are cooked (another 15 minutes). Remove from fire.

Sprinkle salted fish on top, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes till rice is dry and fluffy.

Before serving, sprinkle spring onion , black soya sauce and garlic oil, mix in to combine toppings and rice.

Potstickers (and Wontons)

* 1 lb ground pork (or ground turkey)
* shittake mushrooms
* raw shrimp, peeled
* water chestnuts
* green onions (scallions)
* celery
* carrots
* soy sauce
* ginger
* egg
* sesame oil
* white pepper (black pepper will work fine too)
- measurements for the above items can be flexible depending on how much you want to add or not
- Feel free to add other ingredients you find suitable and mix it all together. (Enoki mushrooms, bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, etc.)

* potsticker (gyoza) skins and wonton skins (as many as you can make!)

* Chop up everything into small pieces and mix well together. Put a small amount in the middle of your potsticker skin and fold over. Use either water or egg wash to help the skin seal together. (I also use flour on my hands to avoid everything sticking together.)

* Boil them for a few minutes until they float, then transfer to another pan for some light pan-frying. (You can probably deep-fry them if you so desired.)

You can also put the same filling in the wonton skins and they work out just fine.

They freeze well if you allow them to freeze separately from each other. Otherwise they all stick together and can pose a problem later when defrosting.

Steamy Egg Pudding (Dun Dan) (Dessert)

I haven't been able to make it correctly lately, but here's a recipe for Steamy Egg Pudding. Easiest thing you can make on here blog!

1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp sugar
hm... I think that's it.

1. Start heating up a big pot, one where you can put a cover over. Be sure you have enough water to boil for 15 mins, and also add a thingy to prop up the dish (forget what its called, but you know what I mean!)
2. Mix the egg with milk.
3. Add sugar and mix well. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar!!
4. Pour into a flat dish.
5. Be careful when you pour into the dish to keep the bubbles out that were formed during mixing.
6. Carefully place the dish into the pot and not to spill.
7. Place chopsticks over the top (on each side), and cover the lid on top of the chopsticks so the steam can escape.
8. Heat on medium-high (make sure it's hot enough for bubbles!!) for about 12-15 minutes.
9. If you're lucky, the water did not drip onto the pudding and it was heated enough
10. Carefully take the dish out with some asian tongs (no idea what they're called).
11. Let it sit for a few minutes.
12. Eat!!

Okay, make at your own risk. You're not losing much by trying it, but if it works out, it taste good!! If you're not lucky, it will be too watery. Oh wells, can't blame me. Not my blog.

Easy spaghetti Bolognese (Williams Sonoma)

6 oz bacon slices cut into ½ inch pcs
1 yellow onion, diced
1 ½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs ground beef
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup milk
1/3 c grated parmigiano-reggiano

1 lb spaghetti, cooked, water reserved

in the stove top save insert of a slow cooker over medium high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7-10 minutes. Spoon off all but 1 tbsp of the fat. Add the onion and ½ tsp of the salt and cook until tender, 5-7 min. add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef and remaining 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is no longer pink, 5 min. Stir in the tomato paste, milk and 1/3 c cheese.

Place the insert on the slowcooker base. Cover and cook on low until the sauce thickens, about 4 hours. Skim the fat off the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce along with enough pasta-cooking water to loosen the sauce and toss to combine. Transfer to individual bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 6.

**I don’t always use bacon. I’ll just use some regular oil to brown the meat. Also, I’ll do the 1st part in a regular pan, then transfer to my slow cooker. Yes, I know, sounds strange with the cheese and the milk.

Easy Italian stew (kind of like minestrone)

This is a super hearty meal that is super easy to prepare. Quick dinner!

2 tbsp kraft zesty Italian dressing (or oil)
1 lb bulk Italian (turkey) sausage (break these into small pcs before cooking, and also remove casing)
2 cans (14.5 oz ea) chicken broth
1 can (15 oz) cannelloni beans, rinse, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian style diced tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup pasta (any except the noodle kind)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded for topping
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, cubed
1 onion, large dices

heat dressing in large sauce pan on medium. Add sausage, cook 8-10 min, break sausage into small pcs. Add onion and cook for a few minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring.

add broth, veggies, beans and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce to medium, simmer 8-10 min until pasta is cooked. Stir.

Ladle into bowl and top with cheese.

**I use whatever veggies I have on hand, spinach, brocolli, cauliflower, etc. I don’t always use beans, and I usually use turkey (or chicken, the italian sausage from TJ's is wonderful) sausage, but pork is fine. Serve with crusty bread and salad!

Sai Mei Bo Deen

Tapioca pudding, baked
This is the kind sometimes found in chinese restaurants, but my mom used to make this for us when I was little. Again, this is her recipe.

2 ounces sai mei low
2/3 cup sugar (this can be reduced by about half)
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tbsp custard powder
2 ounces butter
3 ounces lotus paste or red bean paste
3 egg yolks

Put tapioca in water to soak for 10 minutes. Next drain tapioca and cook in small pot with water until translucent. Use warm water to rinse the starch from the tapioca. Mix cornstarch and custard powder with 1/4 c water and then add egg yolk. In a separate pot, mix butter, sugar, and 2/3 c water and bring to a boil. Pour in tapioca under low heat. Slowly pour in egg mixture into the pot and heat on low until it coats the back of a spoon. Turn off heat. Put the bean paste/lotus paste in the bottom of an oven safe dish and pour custard mixture on top and broil 15 minutes in a water bath at 450 degrees.

I don't love the paste part, so if you don't like it or don't have it, you can make it without. I could just eat the tapioca pudding part. Also, make sure not to cook the tapioca too much if you like it sorta chewy.

Pork and Watercress Wonton's

Again, from my Mom....

1 pound ground pork
2 bunches watercress
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp chicken powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
wonton skins, thin
water or egg for sealing

Clean watercress thoroughly (soak and rinse several times, there can be a lot of sand and dirt) Boil a large pot of water. When it comes to a boil, put the watercress in. Parboil (maybe about a minute). Remove the watercress and drain. Chop into small pcs and squeeze excess water out.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Then wrap! Line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap and place wontons so they do not touch. Lay another sheet of plastic wrap when the sheet is full. Just make sure they don't touch. Freeze overnight. The next day, put the frozen wontons into a ziploc bag and put back in the freezer for storage. You can, of course, cook some right away, but this make so much, you'll have to freeze some.

You can also make this with shrimp. Instead of the watercress, use about a 1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled, cleaned and diced. And no need to parboil anything.

Spicy Sauce (Hoong yaow chow sauw) - okay, this is my recipe....my own crazy concoction...

1-2 tsp chili sauce (Old Lady Chili Sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp sweet soy
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over cooked wontons. (these measurements are just estimations b/c I usually just dump it into a bowl, and I've also added peanut butter or hoisin and those are good additions as well)

Shanghainese Kao Fu

per Michelle's Mom's instructions

1 pkg fresh wheat gluten (purchased near the tofus, usually available in an 8 or 10 oz bag)
1/2 box dried wood ear (soak a square in water and after rinsing, freeze half of it for later use)
1/2 can sliced bamboo
2 handfuls dried shitake mushrooms
2 or 3 star anise

soy sauce
sugar

oil for deep frying

Take the wheat gluten, wood ear, and mushrooms and soak in hot water for at least 30 minutes(each in it's own bowl). Squeeze the water from the wheat gluten as much as you can and then rinse several times. It's okay if the gluten tears a little, b/c you're going to tear it into 1-2 inch pcs later anyhow. Squeeze the water out again and tear the gluten into bits.

Heat the frying oil. Fry the gluten chunks until golden brown, and I do mean brown, like a dark honey color. (I'll take a picture the next time I make it). Place on paper towels to help absorb excess oil. While you are frying, you can rinse out the wood ear and mushrooms a few times as well. For the mushrooms, you'll want to cut off the stems. You can also halve the mushrooms, but this is optional. Drain and rinse the bamboo shoots. Cut the wood ear into smaller pieces if they are large.

After you are done frying all the gluten chunks, place them in a large bowl and rinse them with water a few times. (I know, this sounded so crazy to me, but I think it's just to remove the excess oil)

Put the star anise, gluten, bamboo, wood ear and mushrooms in a large pot. Fill about 3/4 up (not to cover) with water. I start with about 1/2 c soy sauce and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Bring up to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Do not cover the pot. Most of the liquid has to evaporate. Check the flavor of the sauce intermittently and add soy and/or sugar as needed. Unfortunately, I have never measured. I do find that I use a lot of soy and a lot more sugar than I think I'm going to need.

This dish is best served cold.

Lion's Head Meatballs

Per Michelle's Mom's cryptic instructions

2 inch section of Nagaimo (root vegetable typically found in chinese/japanese markets in styro tray wrapped in saran) Also could be called wy-sang (sp) in chinese, peeled and cut into 1 inch pcs
1/3block medium firm tofu
1 pound ground pork

napa cabbage or bok choy

oyster sauce (~2 tbsp for the meat mixture, 1 tbsp for the sauce)
soy sauce (i used dark, about 1 tbsp)
3 tbsp chopped water chestnuts
2 tsp chinese wine
white pepper
corn starch
oil for fying
chicken stock

Peel and cube the nagaimo. It's extremely slimy and strange. Put the cubed nagaimo and tofu into a blender and let her whirl for a bit. It will be liquidy. In a large bowl, mix the ground pork with the nagaimo/tofu mixture (you'll want to add this maybe half at first, then add little by little - you don't want it to be too watery or the meatballs will fall apart). Add seasonings..oyster sauce, wine, soy sauce, water chestnuts and corn starch. After mixed very well, form into meatballs. You can make them any size you want.

Put some oil in a large pan. Brown the meatballs all around. Be careful turning them b/c they will be very soft. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way thru yet. If you've got excess oil in the pan, drain it out. Add chicken stock to cover half the meatball and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the veggies to the broth and cook until tender. Add some oyster sauce to the sauce. Remove the meatballs and the veggies to your serving dish. Add a cold water/cornstarch mixture to the broth to thicken. Once it's reached the desired consistency, pour the sauce over your meatballs. Viola!

Note: Sorry, I don't have exact measurements of anything b/c this is how my mom does it. Also, I've only made this once, and the meatballs were extrememly tender and moist, but I don't think I added enough seasonings. Also, I have made another recipe which called for water chestnuts and I did like the crunch of them, so maybe next time I'll also add those. According to my mom, its the slimy nagaimo that makes it so soft. (she always has some "secret"/must-have ingredient)

Update: I added the some seasoning, (recipe above is updated) and it tastes really good now. Stephen said..."just like the restaurants". Wow. Enjoy!

Ma-Po Tofu

Ma-Po Tofu
by Karen

Ingredients:

1 block silken tofu (19 oz box) 1/4 lb - 1/2 lb ground pork
3 tablespoons spicy bean sauce
1-2 tablespoons chili sauce, like the kinds you would get at Chinese restaurants
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 stalks scallions (chopped into 1 or 2-inch length)
2 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup water or stock

(See sample of sauces used)
http://usa.lkk.com/Common/08Consumer/CS002.aspx?Catalog=LKK&OID=4
http://usa.lkk.com/Common/08Consumer/CS002.aspx?Catalog=LKK&OID=2

Method:

Cut the tofu into small pieces, drain the water from the tofu and set aside. Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil. Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, bean sauce and stir-fry until the pork is half-done. Then add in chili powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. Gently stir and blend well. You may thicken it a bit with a little cornstarch and cold water.

Dish out and serve hot!

Miso Soup

MISO SOUP
by Hiroshi K

A couple cubes of tofu (silky)
Soy bean paste
Dried seaweed--any length/size
Enough hot water as soup you'd like to make

1. Heat up some cubed tofu (in this case, use silky tofu) with a bit of water in a small pan. The purpose is to heat it up, not to fry it (you could steam it, but with such a small amount, this is the "easy" way to do it.) I guess you could also put the tofu in your soup bowl & microwave it with a bit of water (to prevent drying it out).
2. Mix hot water & soy bean paste (to taste) in a soup bowl.
3. Add tofu.
4. Add dried seaweed and wait a minute for it reconstitute.

Voila!

MA PO TOFU

Ma Po Tofu (creamier sauce, with veggies)
by Lilly K

Makes 6-8 servings.

Grocery store:
1 package firm tofu, cubed (I cut mine into 36 cubes).
2 cups frozen vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, beans, or any other you like)
2 tbsp soybean paste (more commonly found in Korean or Japanese markets than Chinese)
½ pound ground turkey (or ground beef, pork, or chicken)

Spice rack:
Oil for stir-frying (I use olive)
2 cloves crushed garlic
Salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup hot water
Black bean sauce (to taste)
Hot chili oil (optional, to taste)
Soy sauce (to taste)
Corn starch (to taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water

DIRECTIONS
1. Start heating pan on high heat. Rinse frozen veggies to help thaw and remove any bits of ice (but they don’t need to reach room temperature).
2. In a small bowl, mix hot water, soybean paste, black bean sauce, hot chili oil (purpose of water is to dilute soybean paste).
3. Sautee ground turkey with oil & garlic. Sprinkle with salt to season.
4. Add mixture from Step 2 to meat when meat is 75% done, stirring well.
5. When meat is cooked, add frozen vegetables, stirring to coat everything. Cover.
6. Veggies are already cooked, so they just need to be thawed and heated up. While waiting for this, mix corn starch and cold water to make a paste (the thicker you like your sauce, the higher concentration of corn starch). You could make this earlier, but it starts to separate pretty quickly, so you may need to re-mix.
7. When veggies are hot, taste the sauce. Add salt, soy sauce or more black bean sauce (if necessary) to taste.
8. Add tofu to pan, turning over a couple times—stir carefully so as to not break up the tofu.
9. Make a little “well” or “hole” in middle of pan, pushing ingredients aside.
10. Pour corn starch & water paste into well. Wait a couple seconds while it begins to cook up as a thick sauce. Then stir to coat everything with sauce and simmer a couple minutes.

We scoop rice into a big bowl, and spoon the ma po tofu over it ("one dish eating!").

NOTES
1. Traditionally, this dish is made with medium-firmness, “silky” tofu, but I personally don’t like it when the tofu breaks up too much—so I use firm.
2. I remove the garlic cloves at Step 4, but Hiroshi doesn’t fish them out until they’re on his plate.
3. Because I don't measure the ingredients, Step 7 is where I can make any adjusments to taste. I suppose I could just measure everything and then jot it down for future use, but I can't be bothered!
4. This is is HK, but i also add a smidgeon of XO sauce in Step 2. We bought a small jar of it 2 years ago just b/c we were curious. We don't use it for any other recipe besides this one. If you have one, lemme know!
5. I've also been meaning to try this with shrimp. When I do, I’ll let you know the results!

Beef Noodle Soup

Beef Noodle Soup
by Michelle Tsang

2lbs each of beef shank and tendon – 3.99 per pound at ranch 99. Have them cut the tendon (which comes frozen in block). I usually get the beef chuck roast(?) from the regular supermarket. Comes as a large “steak” and fills the entire tray, about 2 lbs. Trim fat and cube. I don’t always use tendons either.

Half jar of “dow ban cherng” chili bean paste
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
3 star anise
2 big chunks of ginger, pounded
1 bunch of green onions
2 tbsp dark soy
2 tbsp sweet soy
1 tsp chicken powder (or chicken stock cube)
1 tsp sugar
water to cover meat

Boil meat and tendon in water for about 10 minutes in large pot. Rinse the meat with water to get rid of the yucky stuff. Put the meat back into the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 hours covered. Before turning off the stove, bring pot to a boil with lid on. Do not remove the lid.

(Optional) The next day, cook again for 2-3 hours. Serve with noodles of your choice.

Chili Bean Sauce by Wanjashan. The jar has a green and white cap, with a red and gold label. This is the sauce to buy. It can be found at Ranch 99. Search the sauce aisle...it's there.