Author: John

Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Recipe: Onion Pancakes (simplified)

Onion Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 210 ml water
  • 2 stalks of green onion
  • Pinch of five spice powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

  1. In mixing bowl, stir water into flour, and keep stirring with an egg whisk. Make sure water and flour are completely combined. Set aside for a few minutes.
  2. Finely chop green onions and throw into mixing bowl with flour/water. Add pinch of salt and five spice seasoning. Stir until everything is combined.
  3. Heat up cooking oil. Pour mixture into a pan. Pan fry over medium heat for 2-4 minutes, until one side turns golden brown. Turn over, and pan fry the other side about 2 minutes. Then turn heat up to high, and fry each side 1 minute for a darker color.
  4. Transfer out and absorb extra oil with a paper towel.
  5. Cut into wedges to serve.

Categories
Uncategorized

Recipe: Hua Jun

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk (or water)
  • 3 cup Korean high protein flour (12%)
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. fast acting yeast
  • 2-3 tablespoon oil
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions

Directions

  1. Place milk, flour, sugar, baking powder, and yeast in dough machine.
  2. Let machine knead the dough
  3. Take out when 20 minutes left on machine
  4. Roll into large flat square sheet about 1/4 inch thick
  5. Spread oil on the sheet, then sprinkle with salt, then chopped scallions
  6. Fold sheets into thirds
  7. Cut into 12 pieces
  8. Using two at a time, pull and twist into a roll; yielding 6 rolls
  9. Using warm water, let the rolls proof in the steamer about 45 minutes. The size of the roll should increase50%.
  10. Steam 15 minutes
  11. Take off burner, and let sit 5 minutes.

Categories
Uncategorized

Recipe: A-Choy with fermented tofu

A -choy

A-choy is a Taiwanese vegetable that is fast to cook and has a texture similar to romaine lettuce. It’s a delicious vegetable.

INGREDIENTS

  • (2) stalks of A-choy
  • Cooking oil
  • Chopped garlic
  • .5 tsp mushroom powder
  • Taiwanese fermented tofu

DIRECTIONS

  1. Wash the A-choy
  2. Divide into ~ 4 inch sections
  3. Heat cooking oil in a wok or frying pan
  4. Add chopped garlic and stir fry until flavor is released
  5. Add A-Choy to the wok, and stir fry.
  6. Turn up heat and add some water to hasten cooking
  7. Sprinkle some mushroom powder
  8. Add about a half cube of fermented tofu to flavor
  9. It should be done in less than five minutes. Don’t overcook.
Categories
Food Recipes

Recipe: Bread Pretzels — using Dough machine

Bread Pretzels

INGREDIENTS

  • 6.5 to 7 oz. water (room temp – 70 to 80℉)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 2 cups (250 grams) bread flour
  • 1.5 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. Measure water into bread pan
  2. Stir salt and sugar into water
  3. Add flour
  4. Put dry yeast on top of flour
  5. Select “Dough” setting, press “start”
  6. When unit indicates about 0:30, press stop (otherwise, will rise too much)
  7. Pre-heat oven to 450℉. Divide dough into 6-12 pieces and form pretzel.
  8. Place on baking pan with parchment paper.
  9. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse salt.
  10. Bake about 12 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes (to brown the top).

Categories
Food Recipes

Recipe: Rice Cooker Millet Congee

Millet congee is a good change of pace to steel cut oatmeal for breakfast; and the rice cooker is an easy way to make.

Millet congee

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 “rice cooker cup” of millet
  • Water
  • 1/3 of a sweet potato, cubed (or savory ingredients like wood ear fungus, goji berries, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Put 1/2 (rice cooker measuring) cup of millet into rice cooker bowl
  2. Fill water to 1.5 mark on the Steel Cut Oatmeal mark on Zojirushi rice cooker
  3. Add sweet potato (or sweet/savory ingredients like wood ear fungus, goji berries)
  4. Let soak overnight
  5. Set timer to have congee ready for breakfast
Categories
China Food Recipes

Recipe: Chinese Steamed buns with scallions (hua juan)

Hua Juan

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH:

  • 1 cup milk (or 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water)
  • 1 tablespoon oil (optional)
  • 3 cups (380 grams) bread flour (e.g. Morebread flour from Sheridan)
  • 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder (optional)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BUNS:

  • 1 cup finely sliced scallions (from 8 to 10 stalks)
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat the milk to 100°F to 110°F.
  2. Stir in the oil (optional)
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, sugar and milk powder (if using). Add the milk-oil to stir to form a dough ball
  4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 6-8 minutes). Return dough to bowl and let rise in a warm spot for at least 2 hours. (Or, use a bread/dough maker for steps 3-4).
  5. In a bowl, stir together the scallions, oil, and salt. Cut out twelve 6-inch square pieces of parchment paper.
  6. Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Punch down to deflate. Using bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball.
  7. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a 4×6 inch oval.
  8. Working with each piece at a time, slice lengthwise into the oval, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top of the oval.
  9. Brush or spoon about 1 tablespoon of the scallion mixture across the dough.
  10. Pick up each end of the oval, gently pull outward, then twist into a coil.
  11. Twist the coil into a knot. Place the knot on a piece of parchment paper.
  12. Repeat steps 8-11 for each oval
  13. Put 6 bun on each layer of steamer, and let rise 30-40 minutes
  14. Steam for 15 minutes.
  15. Serve warm sprinkled with sea salt. If wish, serve with soy dipping sauce.
  16. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated in a steamer, or microwave (15 seconds).
Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Recipe: Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

Chinese Eggplant with garlic sauce

INGREDIENTS

  • 10 oz Chinese long eggplant chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2.5 tablespoon oil
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 tsp. oyster sauce
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

  1. (Optional salting step). Place eggplant in large bowl and add water to cover. Add 1 tsp salt. Mix well. Place a pot lid on top to keep the eggplant under water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
  2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well.
  3. Sprinkle eggplant with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix by hand, until eggplant is evenly coated with thin layer of cornstarch.
  4. Add two tablespoon oil to nonstick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Spread eggplant across the bottom of the skillet without overlapping. Cook the eggplant one side at a time until all the surfaces are charred and the eggplant turns soft, 8 to 10 minutes in total. Sprinkle water as needed to speed cooking.Transplant the eggplants to a plate. If the skillet starts to smoke, turn to medium heat.
  5. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp oil, the ginger and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant. Add the eggplant back into the skillet. Mix the sauce until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and pour it over the eggplant. Add water to soften eggplant. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant is evenly coated and the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a big plate.
  6. Serve hot as a side or as a main course over steamed rice or noodles.
Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Recipe: Kale and Tofu Soup

Kale makes a nice soup. The taste and texture is very nice and satisfying in a soup. A good source of nitric oxide and other nutrients.

Kale and tofu soup

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 bunch of kale (Lakota is pictured)
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 cups chick broth
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tbsp of laver (seaweed)
  • 1/2 tofu, cubed
  • Mung bean vermicelli noodles (optional)
Laver (edible seaweed)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Wash the kale
  2. Pick off pieces of leaves from the stem
  3. Heat cooking oil in bottom of soup pot
  4. Stir in minced garlic for a minute, until flavor releases
  5. Stir fry kale until it starts to wilt
  6. Add chicken broth, and water; and bring to boil
  7. Add seaweed for flavor
  8. Let simmer for 20 minutes
  9. Add tofu and vermicelli noodles (optional)
  10. Simmer for 2-3 more minutes
  11. Add salt and pepper to taste
  12. Add sesame oil to taste (optional)
Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Recipe: Stir Fry Taiwan Cauliflower

Taiwan or Chinese cauliflower can be found in Asian markets. It is sweeter and crisper than western cauliflower. It is delightful stir fried.

Taiwan (or Chinese) Cauliflower
Stir fried cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 head of cauliflower
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2-3 tbsp chopped Chinese bacon (optional)
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth (optional)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
  • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

DIRECTIONS

  1. Rinse cauliflower
  2. Cut cauliflower into small pieces
  3. Mix soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and oyster sauce in a bowl
  4. Heat cooking oil in wok
  5. Add minced garlic, and (optionally) minced Chinese bacon
  6. Add the cauliflower, and saute
  7. Add chicken broth or water to raise temperature
  8. Stir fry in the soy sauce mixture
  9. Done in 2-3 minutes
  10. Add salt and pepper, or sesame oil, to taste

Categories
Food Health Recipes

Recipe: Instant Pot Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

Okinawan sweet potatoes (also known as Hawaiian sweet potatoes) are said to contribute to longevity, in addition to being delicious. It has a buff colored skin, and purple flesh; with a delicate, sweet taste.

@ Shun Fat Market

INGREDIENTS:

(3) Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

Cooked sweet potatoes

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Wash sweet potatoes with a brush
  2. Put one cup water into Instant Pot
  3. Place the sweet potatoes on a tivet
  4. Press Steam button for 19 minutes
  5. Let natural release for 15 minutes
  6. Remove from Instant Pot and serve