Category: Recipes

Categories
Food Recipes

Microwave Corn on the Cob

  • Use this method for one or two ears of corn. For more corn, boil in a big pot.
  • Leave the corn in the husk. This will help trap heat and moisture, cooking kernels evenly.
  • Microwave on high for ~3.5 minutes (one ear) — add one minute for two ears.
  • Rest the ears for at least 5 minutes after cooking before husking. Use the husk as a handle. It may feel only warm on the outside but is extremely hot inside.
Categories
Food Recipes

Recipe: Winter Melon Soup 2

Winter melon soup is a soothing and comforting dish. Winter melons are grown in summer and harvested in late summer through early winter, making this a great summer/fall transition recipe!

There’s also a famous Chinese pastry—called “wife cakes”, or lao po bing (老婆饼)—with winter melon in the filling. Like other common Chinese pastry fillings (lotus seed paste, red bean paste, taro, etc.), if you cook down winter melon and add sugar, it makes an excellent sweet treat.

Winter melon can grow into a very big fruit, measuring over 15 inches in diameter and weighing in excess of thirty pounds. At the supermarket, you’re most likely to see them sold by the slice due to their extreme size. Although it’s called winter melon, it’s actually a summer vegetable. It is a type of fruit, but when mature, the fresh melon doesn’t taste sweet. It is mildly flavored, and has a similar texture to that of a watermelon. It’s typically used for cooking savory dishes, including soups and stews, with other flavorful spices. The white fresh part will turn very soft and absorb flavor easily as it’s cooked.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (2-lb) wedge of winter melon (e.g. from Chang Fa, Food Depot)
  • 2 dried black shiitake mushrooms
  • Dried shrimp (about 1.5 tbsp)
  • Stalk of dried tofu (optional)
  • Wood ear fungus (optional)
  • About 1 pint of chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp mushroom powder
  • 3-4 pieces sliced ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
Ingredients

DIRECTIONS

  1. Soak mushrooms, dried shrimp, tofu sticks, & wood ear fungus for couple hours
  2. Cut winter melon into 1/2 inch slices, making bite size pieces, removing rind
  3. Put melon into pot, cover with water, and boil about 15 minutes until tender
  4. Pour off excess water
  5. Add chicken broth, dried mushrooms, dried shrimp, mushroom powder, sliced ginger, water from soaking mushrooms, salt, and white pepper
  6. Simmer for about 20 minutes, adjust seasoning for taste
  7. Garnish with green onions or cilantro if desired
Categories
Food Recipes

Cold Brew Coffee 2

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 Tablespoons (50g) of coffee beans (e.g. Peet’s Big Bang)
  • Water, 650ml (1:13 coffee to water ratio, according to Hario)
  • Makes 2-3 cups of delicious cold brew coffee

DIRECTIONS

  1. Grind coffee beans (coarse grind for cold brew)
  2. Place ground coffee in Hario Cold Brew basket
  3. Fill brewer with water
  4. Brew 12 hours at room temperature
  5. Place brewer in the fridge to serve cold
  6. Hint: bottom of brewing basket screws off for easy cleaning

See: https://www.brewcoffeehome.com/hario-mizudashi-cold-brew/

Categories
Food Recipes

Recipe: Refrigerator Pickled Beets

Refrigerator pickled beets

Easy to make, and can last up to 6 weeks. When you’ve finished the beets, the brine can be brought back to a boil and reused. Or, use it to marinate hard boiled eggs. This recipe uses a 1 quart jar.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 large beets (~11 in. circumferance)
  • 1 cup cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
  • 5 whole peppercorn
  • Onion (optional)
  • Garlic (optional)
  • Cinnamon stick (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook beets in Instant Pot for 25 minutes high, 15 minutes natural release.
  2. Cool, peel, and slice the beets.
  3. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and mustard to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat to cool.
  4. Add peppercorns and beets to clean glass jar. Pour the brine in, covering the beets.
  5. Cover and set aside for several hours (up to 24), then transfer to refrigerator.
  6. Serve after two days.
Categories
Asian Food Recipes

Recipe: Kinpira Gobo (Burdock Root & Carrot)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 lb gobo (burdock root)
  • 1/4 lb carrot
  • 1 Tbsp oil (for stir frying)
  • 2 tsp roasted sesame oil (for taste)
  • 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

SEASONING

  • 3/4 cup dashi
  • 2 TBsp sake
  • 1 TBsp sugar
  • 1 TBsp mirin
  • 1 TBsp soy sauce

DIRECTIONS

  1. Peel gobo’s skin with peeler or scraper (back of kitchen knife). Diagonal cut into 2 inch length. Collect slices and cut into thin matchbox strips.
  2. Soak the gobo in water (optionally add one drop of vinegar). Change water a couple of times until the water becomes clean. Leave the gobo in water until ready to stir fry.
  3. Cut carrots into matchbox strips.
  4. In a fry pan, heat oil to medium high and stir fry the gobo first. After a few minutes, add the carrots.
  5. Add the seasonings, and cook until most liquid evaporates.
  6. Add sesame oil and sesame seeds.
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
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.