Categories
Food Recipes

Rice Cooker Lentil Soup

This recipe is adapted from Bikram’s book “The Mystic Kitchens of Nepal”. The soup is healthy and satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup of Organic Masoor Dal (Amazon)
  • 2.5 cups of water
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Desi Tumeric (People’s Coop)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of Organic Cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder (or sliced garlic)
  • Ghee, pink salt, and pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Use an electronic rice cooker (e.g. Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy)
  2. Put 1/2 cup of dal in the rice cooker pot, and rinse with water
  3. Add water to the pot until it reaches the .5 level on the porridge scale.
  4. Add turmeric, cumin, and garlic to the pot
  5. Set the timer at least three hours ahead so the dal soaks for a few hours before cooking starts.
  6. Serve

Categories
Food Recipes

Instant Pot Corned Beef

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 – 2.5 lbs of corned beef
  • Flavor packet (is usually included with the corned beef)
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 medium onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic

DIRECTIONS

  1. Rinse the corned beef. Remove excess fat.
  2. Soak the corned beef overnight to reduce the saltiness
  3. Put the corned beef in the Instant Pot
  4. Cover the meat with ~ 4 cups of water
  5. Quarter and add the onion to the pot
  6. Crush 4 garlic cloves and add to the pot
  7. Add the seasoning packet to the pot
  8. Cook the corned beef for 1.5 hrs on high pressure
  9. Natural release for 15 minutes.
  10. Let cool and serve
  11. It makes good sandwiches on rye

Categories
Food Recipes

Microwave Poached Eggs

INGREDIENTS

  • (2) 50ml container of water
  • (2) Large AA eggs

DIRECTIONS

  1. Add 50ml of cold water to each compartment.
  2. Crack egg, and put an egg into each compartment.
  3. Using a knife, poke a hole in each yolk
  4. Cover using the lid.
  5. With the 1200-watt Panasonic microwave, set the power level to “6”. Microwave for 80 seconds.
Categories
Food Health Recipes

Banana & Berry Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup of coconut milk (or water)
  • 1/2 – 1 cup of water
  • 1 banana broken into pieces
  • 2 cups of frozen berries
  • 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of honey (optional)
  • Juice of one orange

DIRECTIONS

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and use “food processor” mode to blend until smooth
  2. Pour into glasses and serve

Categories
Asian Chinese American Food Recipes

Steamed Pork Loaf

INGREDIENTS

  • 12 oz ground pork
  • 4 oz water chestnuts
  • 3 oz bamboo shoots
  • 2 pieces green onions
  • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp chicken bouillon
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • Cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Chop the pork into small bits, and put it into a bowl
  2. To the bowl of pork, add oyster sauce (1 Tbsp), sugar (1tsp), cornstarch (2 Tbsp), sesame oil (1 tsp), chicken bouillon (1 tsp), and white pepper (1/4 tsp).
  3. With chopsticks, mix the pork and flavors thoroughly (~1 minute). The pork will get stickier and pastier.
  4. Chop the water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and green onions (white part), and mix it into the bowl for about 2 minutes.
  5. Add .5 tsp of oil to a glass pie plate, and spread it around
  6. Add .5 tsp of oil to the pork mixture, and mix
  7. Pour the pork mixture onto the plate and flatten with a spoon. Add a bit of oil to the top.
  8. Put a wok on the stove. Add about a cup of water. Put a steam rack on the bottom of the wok. Start the water to boil. Set the plate inside the wok, and steam for 15 minutes.
  9. Remove the plate from the wok. Garnish with the green part of the green onions from earlier
  10. Done.
Categories
Food Recipes

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 ribs celery diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 6 oz. diced ham
  • 1 lb. split peas sorted and rinsed
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken stock or veggie stock, water, or mixture
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon mushroom powder
  • Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Turn Instant Pot to “saute” mode. Melt butter, and saute onion, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes, until soften
  2. Add split peas, chicken stock, home, and 2 bay leaves. Turn off “saute”.
  3. Cover the Instant Pot. Et to manual, high pressure for 15 minutes.
  4. Natural release for 15 minutes.
  5. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and mushroom powder
  6. Serve immediately, or store in fridge for 1 week, or freezer for up to six months.
Categories
Food Health Recipes

Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup raw pecans (halves or pieces)
  • 5 oz. baby arugula
  • 2 oz (~ 1/2 cup) feta cheese, crumpled
  • 1 large ripe Bartlett pear, thinly sliced
  • 1 Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
  • Arils from 1 pomegranate
  • GINGER DRESSING
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • About 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Toast the pecans 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and rough chop them
  2. Arrange the arugula across a large serving platter (or bowl). Sprinkle the chopped pecans and crumbled feta over the arugula. Fan the slices of pear and apple and arrange them across the salad in sections (see photo). Sprinkel all over with fresh pomegranate arils.
  3. To prepare dressing, combine all the ingredients and whisk until blended. Taste, and if not zippy enough, add another teaspoon of vinegar.
  4. Wait to dress the salad until you’re ready to serve (the dressing will wilt the greens over time). When ready, drizzle the ginger dressing lightly over the salad.
Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Hot & Sour Soup

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups of chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup of slivered canned bamboo shoots
  • 1/2 cup sliced fresh shitake mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup wood ear fungus
  • 1/2 block of medium tofu
  • 2 TBsp of soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp of white pepper
  • 1 TBsp of white vinegar
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1 TBsp of cornstarch (dissolved in 3 TBsp water)
  • 1 tsp of sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. Hydrate wood ear fungus for 1/2 hr.
  2. Combine stock, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and wood ear fungus and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes.
  3. Add tofu. Cook for 1 minute.
  4. Add soy, white pepper, and vinegar.
  5. Drizzle in egg, allow to set, and stir
  6. Thicken with cornstarch.
  7. Add sesame oil
  8. Season to taste.
Categories
China Food Recipes

Stir-fried Zucchini

Easy to cook and healthy.

INGREDIENTS

  • Half of a zucchini
  • Fresh shitake mushrooms (optional)
  • Avocado oil
  • Garlic powder
  • Water
  • Soy sauce
  • Mushroom powder
  • Oyster sauce

DIRECTIONS

  1. Take half a zucchini, slice lengthwise, and chop in slices
  2. Slice shitake mushrooms (optional)
  3. Heat oil in skillet
  4. Add zucchini and mushrooms to skillet
  5. Sprinkle with garlic powder
  6. Stir fry, adding small amount of water to build heat
  7. Season with soy sauce, mushroom powder, and oyster sauce.
Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Air Fryer BBQ Pork

This is a quick and easy Chinese-style BBQ pork, without red food coloring and excessive sugar. Pork shoulder (vs pork loin) is fattier with more flavor.

INGREDIENTS

  • Pork shoulder
  • Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce

Directions

  1. Cut pork shoulder into 1.5″ strips with grain.
  2. Marinate in Banchan’s sauce.
  3. Set Ninja to “Air Fry” mode with the temperature set at 390° and at 9 minutes. One can smell when the BBQ pork is cooked.
  4. Cut into small pieces against the grain.
  5. Serve