Stir-fried Shanghai Noodles

Every time I go to my favorite Shanghai restaurant, I never fail to order their stir-fried golden yellow noodles. Each bite reminds me so much of stir-fried Hokkien / Cantonese noodles aka Hokkien Char Mee / Cantonese Tai Lok Meen, one of the more popular stir-fried noodle dishes in Malaysia. Bear in mind, this is not the regular soft and soggy lo mein yellow noodles or wonton egg noodles. Traditionally, stir-fried Hokkien noodles is cooked with specially prepared fresh thick yellow egg noodles and a combination of meats, seafood, vegetables, and a special ingredient, crispy pork cubes :) You can really taste the breath of wok as you slurp away the plump and springy fat yellow egg noodles drenched in rich thick black soy sauce and a mixture of one tiny bite of the crispylicious pork bits is enough to blow your tastebuds away. Stir-fried Shanghai noodles also employ a very similar type of noodles. However it is cooked with shredded pork, lard and napa cabbage with a less saucier version.

Lately, fond food memories have been invading my mind with crazy as the days draw closer to my vacation, especially noodly ones. But I've been putting off making this one particular noodle dish because "the" right type noodles couldn't be found at my local Asian grocery store. Taking matters into my own hands, I bugged the manager on numerous occasions until he finally gave in haha :)

Okay, people. Here's what to look for at the market, and here's what it looks like. Save it, print it, bring it to your Asian market, do whatever you need to do and you shall be on your way to enjoying some pretty darn delicious golden Shanghai noodles or some good ol' Malaysian stir-fried Hokkien noodles :) As for now, I'll stick to a very quick and easy recipe, stir-fried Shanghai noodles with mushroom and chinese mustard greens in thick soy sauce :) Soon, I'll be reunited with the real deal .. stir-fried Hokkien noodles with squid, cabbage, shrimp, pork and crispy pork fats ...................... to be continued after 2 months :)

Stir-fried Shanghai Noodles Recipe

Ingredients :
1/2 pack thick yellow noodles, fresh ( 7 oz )
1 tsp chopped garlic
4 oz shredded green onions
5 oz sliced button mushrooms
5 oz cut chinese mustard greens ( aka Small Gai Choy )
1 egg
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp thick soy sauce
1-2 tsp tsp sweet soy sauce (ABC brand, bottle)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cooking oil
white pepper to taste

Notes : Sugar and molasses are already added in the thick soy sauce and the sweet soy sauce. Hence, no sugar is needed for this recipe.

Method :
1) In a pot of boiling water, cook the yellow noodles until the required texture is achieved. I like it springier, so I cook the yellow noodles for just about 5-8 minutes. Remove, rinse in cold water, drain and set aside to cool.
2) Add sesame oil and cooking oil to the cooked noodles. Mix well and set aside.
3) Heat the wok until it's smoking hot and turn the heat down to low. Quickly stir-fry the green onions and garlic until fragrant.
4) Stir in an egg, mix the cut mustard greens, sliced button mushrooms, turn the heat back high, and continue stir-fry for 1 minute.
5) Add the noodles, splash in the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, thick soy sauce, white pepper to taste, and continue to stir-fry for an additional 2-3 minute or until evenly mixed.

Rice Vermicelli In Dried Scallop Sauce

Rice vermicelli (or rice sticks) are one of the more common variety of noodles stocked in many Asian households. They are not as starchy as most noodles are and certainly easier to prepare. Thus making them my number one choice when I want a quick home-made noodle fix or when the weather is hot and I'm looking for something that's lighter than ramen, chow mein, or even my favorite, e-fu noodles. Rice vermicelli is also a splendid choice for the health-conscious as it is free of gluten, sodium, fat and cholesterol.

One trait that really sets Asian noodles apart from their Italian counterparts is versatility. And if I were to pick an Asian noodle to showcase the various ways one kind of noodle can be cooked, I would definitely go with the rice vermicelli. Not only can it be stir-fried, served in soups and salads, braised, or tossed cold to name a few ways. But it can also be deep fried or stuffed in spring rolls as well. The rice vermicelli is truly the "noodle of all trades" in my book.

Cooking rice vermicelli is no harder than cooking a pack of instant noodles, and possibly quite faster too. A quick soak of about 5 minutes in boiling hot water is really all it takes. Albeit some people do prefer to cook it in boiling hot water rather than just soak. For me the soaking method sufficiently softens the rice vermicelli while maintaining a firm enough texture so it won't break up when stir-fried.

While preparing this particular rice vermicelli recipe, I recalled a couple of favorite ingredients mom often added to her stocks to "sweeten" or enrich them - dried scallops and dried squid/cuttlefish (which I also used in my Peanut Soup with Pork Ribs). A couple of pieces were all it took to "spice up" the chicken broth I used with a rich and savory flavor.

Without further ado, here's my Rice Vermicelli in Dried Scallop Sauce recipe, which I'm also sending over to Ruth Daniel's Presto Pasta Night. Buon appetito! :)

Pan-Seared Rice Vermicelli in Dried Scallop Sauce Recipe

Ingredients :
7 oz (200 gm) Dry rice vermicelli noodles
5 tbsp cooking oil
20 oz chicken broth
3 oz dried squid/cuttlefish
2 pc dried scallops
8 oz ground chicken breast
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped green onions
1 shitake mushroom (soaked and finely sliced)
10 oz cut baby chinese mustard greens (small gai choy) or other leafy vegetable (cut into bite-sized pieces)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
1 tbsp cornstarch solution
salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Method:
1) Preparing the rice vermicelli
- Soak rice vermicelli in a pot of boiling hot water (with the heat off) for 5 minutes.
- Rinse briefly under running water. Drain and set aside to cool.
2) Preparing the dried scallops and squid
- Soak dried scallops and dried squid/cuttlefish in a small bowl of water.
- Microwave on low (or use the "reheat" function) for 5 minutes to soften them.
- Remove from water and cut or shred into smaller pieces.
3) Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok/pan on medium fire and place rice vermicelli in. Pan-fry until it is slightly crispy on one side and set aside.
4) Using the same oil, lightly scramble an egg and top over rice vermicelli.
5) Stir-fry mustard greens with a dash of salt and pepper for 2 minutes. Remove and top over rice vermicelli.
6) Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same wok/pan until smoky and saute the shredded scallops and the squid from (2) until slightly crispy and fragrant.
7) Add green onions, mushroom, ground chicken breast meat and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
8) Add chicken broth, oyster sauce, cooking wine, salt, pepper, sugar to taste and let boil for 3 minutes.
9) Stir in cornstarch solution and simmer for 1 minute.
10) Pour or ladle sauce over rice vermicelli and serve.

Note : I stir-fried the mustard greens separately from the broth so the taste of the greens doesn't overpower that of the broth.

Gluten-free, Wheat-free Rice Vermicelli










Cookbook : Gluten-free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods

Tortilla Wraps For Sesame Pancake

There are a few variations of Asian/Chinese wraps that I crave for from time to time. The Nanjing crispy scallion pancake, Taiwanese pancake beef roll ups, and the ever popular Chinese Moo Shu wrap. I guess today was one of those days when I needed an escape from rice and noodles, so some kinda pancake wrap it is. Well I certainly didn't really feel like going out and getting something too greasy nor did I feel like rolling out some pancake dough. Maybe a simple chinese pancake recipe to conveniently finish up some leftover tortilla wraps will suffice.

For the health-conscious, there are actually low-carb tortilla skins (which are the kind I used). This isn't exactly the traditional way of making Asian pancake wraps, but after a light coating of egg white wash and toasted seame seeds and a quick pan-fry, I definitely find myself preferring this over the thick chinese sesame pancake bread or the fragile thin Moo Shu wraps.

As for the filling, I went with some slow-cooked boneless beef short ribs. Slow cooking or braising enhances the exchange of flavors between the meat and the sauce and is a great way to soften the meat too, especially if you are using a tougher cut. For this chinese-style braised beef recipe, I used aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon and star anise. They are the traditional spices used in stewing beef flank ("Ngau Lam") chinese-style. If you have leftovers, you can even serve it with egg noodles. Braised beef flank with egg noodles is actually quite a popular Hong Kong dish. Lastly, I added a few szechuan peppercorns for that extra punch.

Well, that's it for my chi-mex chinese burrito gone wild episode. If you have any great wrap and roll ideas, don't hesitate to share them. Check out my other Tex-Mex tortilla wrap here.

P/S : Messing around with my wraps on flickr. Enjoy !:)

Melting Wok : Sesame Pancake With Beef Wrap.

Braised Beef Recipe

Ingredients :
4 pc beef short ribs ( boneless )
1 star anise seed
2 cloves
5 szechuan peppercorns
sliced ginger
shredded green onions
3/4 cups low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup water
2 tbsp ABC sweet soy sauce
3 pc rock sugar ( or regular sugar )
salt and white pepper to taste
shaoxing cooking wine
sesame oil

Method :
1) Dump all the ingredients into a crock pot and slow cook for 4 hours or until tender.

Pulled Beef Wraps

Ingredients :
Mission brand low carb tortilla wraps
toasted sesame seeds
egg white wash

Method :

1) Lightly coat one side of the tortilla wraps with egg white wash. Sprinkle some toasted sesame on it and pan-fry on that side until light golden brown.

2) Shred or pull beef and wrap.

Note : Hmm .. I have some leftover braised beef from this recipe. How should I make use of them ?

Peanut Soup

Growing up around 6-footer cousins can be really intimidating. Mom never failed to pushed her 1001 remedies to make us grow as tall. Making us drink peanut soup is one of her super-hero ideas. There's a chinese tradition, or rather a myth, that eating peanuts help stimulate growth. Anyway, I grew to love mom's peanut soup in my late teens. And if you are wondering if that has helped me any, the asnwer is I think I've failed miserably in the height department. Hahaha.. On a serious note, on days when you are sick of rice, or on a low-carb diet, peanut soup with ribs or lean pork is a good substitute because peanuts contain about the same amount of protein as soy, and are low in starchy carbohydrates.

Like any other signature soup out there, eg. clam chowder can't do without clams, Malaysian Asam Laksa is not complete without fish, peanut soup calls for none other than dried squid or cuttlefish. Known as "Mak-Yu" in Cantonese, dried squid comes in various lengths, from as short as 4 inches to as long as as a foot. They are packed in transparent plastic bags and are available all year round at any Asian grocery market.

Coupled with pork ribs, this soup is a whole meal on its own. However, I prefer to have it with rice and a side of fresh cut chilies in sesame soy sauce for the ribs.

Peanut Soup With Pork Ribs Recipe

Ingredients :
1.5 lb pork ribs
1 lb raw peanuts ( sometimes labeled as blanched peanuts )
2 pc. of dried squid/cuttlefish ( small size )
1/2 whole skin-on garlic ( optional )
salt and white pepper to taste
3.5 qts water

Method :

1) Wash and rinse peanuts and dried squid in water and set aside.
2) To clean ribs and remove excess fat, blanch them briefly in hot boiling water. Remove and rinse in running water.
3) Put all the ingredients into a crock pot, cook on high for 4-6 hours OR low for 8-10 hours.

Note : I prefer boiling this soup in a crock pot or pressure cooker because it softens the peanuts and ribs better. If you are unable to find dried squid, you can also substitute with squid flavored fish sauce.

Braised E-Fu Noodles

After having seen the new Olive Garden "Crab Alfredo Venezia" commercial pop up on tv for the umpteenth time this past month, it's no wonder I've suddenly developed a craving for seafood and noodles. The power of subliminal messages indeed ! I've tried a variety of seafood-noodle combination, from a simple seafood rice noodle stir-fry to a lavish seafood udon served on a sizzling hot plate, but none of them can hold a candle to E-Fu noodles and seafood. They are.. IMHO that is.. a match made in food heaven, kind of like spaghetti and meatballs or the popular Malaysian noodle dish, "char kway teow" with cockles even :)

Also known as "yi meen" or "yi noodles", E-Fu noodles were invented and named after some guy called "Yi" in ancient China who deep-fried some noodles so he could keep them longer and boiled the noodles in water later before serving. I wonder if he had have some potatoes lying around the kitchen when he thought of that if we'd be having Chinese fries today instead of French fries. Hehe.. Just kidding, Mr. Yi, relax.. I'm sure you're already rich enough in the afterlife from all that ghost money the instant noodle companies must have burned for you :P

E-fu noodles are made from eggs and wheat flour and can be found on the noodle aisle in most Asian grocery stores. They are long and flat, deep-fried and dried, with a light yellow color. They are usually vacuumed packed in plastic bags in the shape of either 8" wheels or 8" squares. Bear in mind that since it isn't as dry compared to other dried noodles, it requires less boiling/softening time also. If you have ever listened to Alphaville's "Forever Young" and answered "yes" to the chorus, then you should really slurp down some e-fu on your birthday as it is a symbol of longevity.

Braised E-Fu Noodles With Seafood Recipe

Ingredients :
1 pack E-Fu noodles
8 oz cut cuttlefish ( OR baby cuttlefish, squids, etc )
8 oz sliced sole fish fillets
8 peeled and deveined shrimps
shredded green onions
10 oz chicken broth
cornstarch solution
2 eggs
prepared fried shallots
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
sesame oil
shaoxing cooking wine
salt, sugar and white pepper to taste

Method:
Cooking the E-Fu Noodles :

1) In a boiling pot of water, blanch or boil the E-Fu noodles for 3 minutes or until soft.
2) Rinse in cold water, let dry, mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, a little cooking oil, mix well, and then set aside.
3) Pan-fry the noodles until slightly browned on both sides to a light crisp, remove to a plate or sizzling hot plate, and then set aside.

Cooking the Seafood Gravy :

1) In a wok, crack the eggs in, pan-fry the eggs lightly, with the bottoms to a light crisp, leaving the the rest of the eggs still runny, and set aside.
2) Stir-fry the green onions, and then add the seafood ingredients in and pan-fry until slightly browned, splash the sesame oil, cooking wine, salt, and sugar, and continue stir-fry for a 2 minutes.
3) Add the chicken broth, salt, sugar, pepper, cornstarch solution, let boil, and then pour the half cooked eggs in, and let simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes.
4) Pour the seafood gravy over the pan-fried E-Fu noodle plate, drizzle some fried shallots, and ready to serve.

Chinese BBQ Pork

I had a terrible experience the last time I had a craving for some "Char Siu" (Cantonese style BBQ Pork). After fighting an hour's worth of traffic to reach Chinatown and waiting in line for half more at my favorite BBQ restaurant "Sam Woo", I was left staring at the last piece of Char Siu which was practically screaming, "I'm dry and burnt, but I'm the last piece standing and you've come this far ......" And that was enough inspiration for making my own Chinese BBQ Pork nowadays whenever I have a craving for that sweet, sticky, tender hunk of "red" meat.

The choice of meat is on the top of my list when it comes to my BBQ Pork. For a leaner Char Siu, use pork cushion or pork loin. If you prefer it to be really tender (like I do), pork belly is the way to go. If you can't decide, start out with pork shoulder or pork butt, which is leaner than pork belly, yet quite marbly and moist.

Traditionally, Chinese BBQ Pork is skewered with long forks and roasted in ovens, which is how it's name is derived, "Char" and "Siu" in Cantonese respectively translate to "Fork" and "Roasted". However, I have discovered that pan-broiling the BBQ Pork like my Hainan Chicken on the stove-top is faster and the result is just as authentic.

Personally, I prefer my Chinese BBQ Pork with egg noodles tossed with the BBQ Pork caramel sauce. But its always great with plain white rice, fried rice, or as bun stuffings.

BBQ Pork Caramel Sauce Recipe

Ingredients :
4 tbsp maltose
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp Chinese rose wine ( OR regular shaoxing wine )
white pepper
sesame oil
salt to taste

Method :

1) To avoid sticking or burning onto the pan, cook all ingredients on a double boiler on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, let it cool down and then set aside.

BBQ Pork Recipe

Ingredients :
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
2 lbs+ pork belly ( OR use pork loin OR pork shoulder)
caramel sauce

Method :

1) Fork the pork belly and rub the minced ingredients all over the meat.
2) Marinade the pork bellies with half to two thirds of a portion of the prepared caramel sauce over the meat, and then set aside for at least 20 minutes. ( preferably overnight )
3) Pan fry the marinated meat over medium-high heat until both sides are nicely browned, cover and let it cook on medium-low heat for an additional 20-30 minutes.
4) Baste some glaze over the meat 5 minutes before finish time.
5) Pour the remaining caramel sauce over the meat, before of after cutting the meat into serving size.

My Buddha's Feast, A Lotus Root Stir Fry

Traditionally, Buddha's Feast or Buddha's Delight is a vegetarian dish served on the very first day of Chinese New Year. The use of vegetables signify purity, therefore no meat or seafood is eaten on the first and fifteenth day of the New Year celebration and no animals are killed on those two days.

During Chinese New Year, using shitake mushroom symbolizes the welcoming of Spring and the calling of opportunities in life, whereas using water chestnuts signify unity. The one mushroom I enjoy the most is the Bunashumeiji mushrooms. It adds a really sweet, smoky, mushroomy flavor to the dish.

Since today isn't the first or the fifteenth day of the New Year, I have tweaked my Buddha's Delight recipe using Chinese waxed sausage and lotus root. In the Chinese New Year tradition, cooking with lotus roots also carries the meaning of bonding and strong family ties. You can also find lotus root candies in many boxed candied fruit trays sold at Asian markets. Lotus root may enhance the sweetness of soups but after all the boiling, it ends up a little soggy and tasteless. Stir frying, on the other hand, preserves the crunchy texture and the sweetness of the lotus root for a really satisfying end result.

Chinese sausages and other waxed meats like duck or bacon are also prevalent in many Chinese New Year festive foods. The rose wine flavor preserved in the chinese sausage is really brought out and adds a mildly intoxicating aroma to any stir fry or clay pot dish.

Lotus Root Stir Fry Recipe

Ingredients :
1 piece lotus root, sliced
2 links of chinese duck liver sausage, sliced ( OR regular chinese sausage )
1 bunch bunashimeiji mushroom
chinese shitake mushroom, shredded
3 water chestnuts, peeled and sliced
green onions, shredded
sesame oil
white pepper
shaoxing cooking wine
2 tbsp oyster sauce
sugar and salt to taste

Method :

1) Cook chinese sausage in microwave on high for 2 minutes, and then set aside.
2) Stir fry the the green onions and mushroom until fragrant. Toss in the sliced lotus root and water chesnuts. Continue stir frying for 2 minutes.
3) Dash in some sesame oil, white pepper, oyster sauce, and cooking wine. Stir fry for 1 minute and add the sliced chinese sausage, sugar and salt to taste. Mix well and continue stir frying for an additional 2 minutes OR until cooked.

Claypot Chicken And Mushrooms

I was recently fortunate enough to pick up a clay pot for only USD $2.99 at one of the many popular "99 Ranch" Asian grocery stores here in Southern California. Since then, my regular pots have been collecting dust in the sidelines. My tastebuds, on the other hand, aren't complaining about the more tender and flavorful dishes produced with my new "toy".

Clay pot cooking is very much like a steaming process. Before cooking, soak the clay pot in water for about 15 minutes. That way, the water that's absorbed in the clay is released as steam during the cooking process, thus sealing the juices of the dish inside the clay pot while keeping any meat moist and tender.

Clay Pot Rice and Clay Pot Noodles are two of the more popular clay pot recipes in the Cantonese cuisine. I can't wait to whip both of them up anytime soon. But for today, since I'm short on Chinese sausage and salted fish, I'm going to stick with one of my mom's that I enjoyed growing up - Clay Pot Chicken and Mushroom recipe.

Other than shitake mushroom, I'm also going to use some "cloud ear" mushroom that I've been saving for this dish. The shitake mushroom is for the flavor whereas the "cloud ear" mushroom is for that interesting crunchy texture that I enjoy. The "cloud ear" mushroom may also be substituted with it's thicker cousin, the "wood ear" mushroom, like the ones you might find in hot and sour soups.

A final word on the clay pot before I move on to the recipe. Dish-washing detergent should not be used to clean them because it will absorb into the clay. I've read that scrubbing them with salt is the preferred cleaning method.

Clay Pot Chicken and Mushroom Recipe

Ingredients :
1 whole chicken ( about 2 lbs, cut into serving pieces )
green onion strips
ginger strips
3 tbsp shaoxing hua tiao wine ( OR any other chinese cooking wine )
cloud ear mushroom ( soaked and cut )
shitake mushroom ( soaked and sliced )
4 tbsp oyster sauce
white pepper
sesame oil
cornstarch solution
sugar and salt to taste

Method :

1) Saute the ginger, green onion, cloud ear and shitake mushroom in the clay pot until fragrant.
2) Add the chicken in, pan fry the chicken pieces on both sides until lightly browned.
3) Mix in the oyster sauce, chinese cooking wine, white pepper, sesame oil and water. ( up to your preference on how saucy you like it to be )
4) Cover the clay pot, and cook on medium-low heat for an additional 20 minutes.
5) Add sugar and salt to taste, cornstarch solution to thicken the gravy and mix well.

Tea Eggs With Chicken Wings

Cleansing tea, one of my night time rituals before bedtime is to brew a cup of water with green tea leaves, to detox all the fatty foods I consumed during the day. Besides, I love a good cup of tea :) However, yesterday night, I accidentally broke the tea bag, and did not want the leaves to squirm all over my cup, hence, I decided to use these flavorful tea leaves to cook some chinese tea eggs.

When cooking with tea leaves, this leads me to one favorite recipe, eggs cooked in crockpot with chicken wings. I am not sure about the origin of this tea egg recipe, but mom had used tea leaves in her meat stews many times during my childhood, to coax us in consuming something cleansing by adding pieces of meat.

Tea eggs, one of the many flavors in chinese cuisine, is particularly famous in many Taiwananese cafes/ restaurants here in the US. This chinese tea egg recipe is prepared by slow cooking the eggs in their shell with tea leaves, some light spices, chinese cooking wine, and some soy. They are then peeled, and you can enjoy them over breakfast, as a snack or appetizer, OR eat them with hot steamed rice OR tossed in your leftover egg noodles with the stewed sauce.

This tea egg recipe cooked with chicken wings makes a great one-pot-meal, pungent flavors, refreshing and simply irresistable. Another great welcome dish that compliments the friendly weather here in Southern California.

Guys and gals, time to dig up your crockpot or claypot. First thing tomorrow morning, enjoy the aroma of tea leaves, sit back and relax, tea eggs for breakfast, and tea flavored soy chicken for dinner. Sounds good to me, how about you ?

Tea Eggs With Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients :
4 eggs
5 chicken wings
1 star anise seed
2 cloves
sliced ginger
1/4 a cinnamon bark ( optional )
5 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp thick sweet soy sauce
1 tbsp chinese rice wine
2 tsp green tea leaves ( OR Black tea leaves )
2 pc rock sugar ( OR small crystalised sugar )
1/4 cup water
salt to taste

Method :
1) Put all the ingredients in the crockpot.
2) Set crockpot temperature to high, and slow cook for 2-4 hours, OR if crockpot settings on low, slow cook for 4-6 hours.

Steam Black Cod

When it comes to fish, my favorite is the Black Cod because of it's unparalleled silky, rich flavor and delicate buttery texture, especially if it's procured live from the tank. The most famous Black Cod recipe is Chef Nobu's Black Cod with Miso. I would certainly like to try that sometime. But for today, I'll stick to the popular Cantonese cuisine old time Chinese favorite fish recipe - Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallions. One thing to remember when cooking black cod is to steam it WHOLE. In chinese tradition, it is a sign of prosperity, especially during Chinese New Year. Well, at least that's how mom taught me. Besides, I find that it's tastier when it's cooked bone-in.

The restaurants in Chinatown can easily charge over twenty dollars for this fish and the black cod they use is only slightly over a pound. Furthermore, they like to serve it the Teowchew cuisine's style, that is to steam the black cod with with "choy po", in cantonese, for preserved turnip, so it's a little too salty than I how I would prefer it. So I was thrilled when I stumbled upon a tankful of them at my local Asian grocery store, the Hawaii Supermarket, and Wham ! Bam ! Carpe Diem ! I went home happy with a two pound whopper for only twelve dollars.

Okay, on to the black cod recipe ...

Ingredients :
1 whole Black Cod
3-4 oz. shredded ginger
5-6 oz. shredded green onions
1 tbsp fried shallot oil
( Use the fried shallots available in small plastic containers from any Asian grocery store, soak 1 tbsp in 2 oz. cooking oil overnight OR microwave on high for 2 minutes )
3 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
( OR any cooking wine of your choice. You may even use cooking-Mirin or Sake for a more robust flavor )
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce OR a tbsp of unsalted whole soy beans available in glass jars. ie. Yeos Unsalted Soy Beans )
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt and sugar to taste
3-4 oz. water

Method :
1) Cut some slits across the body of the fish approximately an inch apart.
2) Rub the shallot oil, salt and sugar all over the fish and place it on the steaming tray.
3) Sprinkle the ginger and green onion over the fish, making sure some of them get into the slits.
4) Mix the wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, and water and splash it slowly all over the fish.
5) Bring a wok of water to boil. Place steamer stand in and the tray of fish over the stand.
6) Steam for approximately 10-12 minutes.(Seafood does not require long to cook). Stick a fork in the fish and pry slightly to check for doneness.

Asian Mushrooms Stir Fry Beef

Unlike the cremini or porcini mushroom, this particular Asian mushroom is exotic. I found is only available between winter and spring. I was ecstatic upon rediscovering this navel-like mushroom over the weekend. I spoke to this elderly man who was just as enthusiastic picking out the good ones and learn a thing or two. He suggested choosing the rounder looking ones and to prepare them for cooking by cutting off the root and the tip. After that, to peel and smash them with the palm of your hand. What suits the Asian mushroom recipe, I asked. He told me that in most Cantonese cuisine, the best recipe for these exotic mushrooms is cooking them in a soup, a simple mushroom stir fry with spicy pork, OR a "teppanyaki" (iron grilled) mushroom beef.

I must admit it does not have the shitake mushroom aroma that I prefer. It tastes more like waterchesnut but not as crunchy, but is definitely a far cry from the spongy-textured King Oyster Mushrooms. And yes, it does add a mild mushroom flavor to your cooking if that's what you are looking for.

In the Cantonese dialect, these exotic Asian mushrooms are known as "Chi Goo", which literally translates to "belly-button mushroom" or "navel mushroom". I may be mistaken but I have searched high and low for it's english name to no avail. If you have any information on it, please let me know.

Anyway, I have decided to experiment these exotic Asian mushrooms in a Mongolian style stir fry with my favorite part of beef and a strong hint of black pepper.

Ingredients :
6 exotic mushrooms peeled and sliced
1 lb. of sliced beef flap meat ( I prefer using beef flap meat because it cooks faster and is tender and flavorful )
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp mushroom soy sauce ( OR soy sauce )
green onion strips
white pepper
black pepper
sesame oil
sherry cooking wine ( OR other cooking wine )
cornstarch solution

Method :
1) Season the meat with white pepper, black pepper, oyster sauce and sesame oil, then set aside.
2) Heat wok, saute the green onions and mushroom till fragrant, add the seasoned beef, stir fry briskly until beef is slightly browned.
3) Splash in some mushroom soy sauce and cooking wine and continue stir frying until the sauce starts to bubble.
4) Stir in the cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce. Cover wok and let simmer for 2 minutes.

Egg Tofu Scallopini

I'm a big fan of beancurd, also known as "tofu". You can find them in a various textures in any Asian grocery stores today. There is the run-of-the-mill firm white tofu for deep frying or stuffing with fillingss; the soft, silken ones for soups or stewing; the 5-spice and cured white ones for salads and stir frying; and last but not least, the thin sheet kind for wrapping deep fried vietnamese shrimp patties. Today, I am going to share my favorite kind with you - the Japanese Egg Tofu . These are vacuum- packed in plastic tubes, medium-soft textured, and the color is slightly off-white. It turns a mild shade of yellow when cooked and has an eggy taste to it as it melts in your mouth. For those living in the Los Angeles area, you can only find this delicious egg tofu at the Hawaii Supermarket in Monterey Park.

I have never lost my craving for egg tofu ever since I moved to the States, and it was pure joy when I rediscovered them. Mom used to buy them for me almost every other week at the wet markets back home. They come in chicken, shrimp, and egg flavor. Actually, you can even mold them by mashing regular tofu with eggs or other ingredients to your liking, steam them and store them in the fridge to pan fry or cook any way you want it later. Trust me, it is worth the hassle if you're a tofu lover like me and want to try a different style of preparation. The "99 Ranch" Asian grocery stores around Los Angeles also carry a similar kind. But they are simply plain white tofu in a tube, not the eggy kind that I have liked from young.

Without further ado, here is how I prepared my quick meal using egg tofu. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

Sizzling Egg Tofu Recipe

Ingredients :
2 tubes of egg tofu
10 peeled shrimp
handful of bay scallops
minced chicken breast ( OR any other meats )
chopped green onions
shaoxing wine ( OR any other cooking wine )
white pepper
sesame oil
1 tbsp Poloku seasoning ( is a all 100% mushroom and vegetable seasoning, you can substitute this with your choice of brown sauce, ie. oyster sauce )
salt to taste
10 oz water
cornstarch solution

Method :
1) Cut the tofu in one inch slices and pan fry both sides until lightly brown, then set aside.
2) Sautee the green onions, scallops, shrimp and minced meat.
3) Add a dash of white pepper, a splash of cooking wine, and water.
4) Mix in the mushroom seasoning, sesame oil, and salt to taste.
5) Stir in the cornstarch solution, cook to a boil, simmer for a minute or so.
6) Pour gravy over tofu.

And there you have it, a yummylicious dish of sizzling egg tofu on the wok. Optionally, you can also stir in an egg into the gravy as it is boiling for that extra OOMPH :P

Watercress Soup : No.1 Cleansing Soup

There really is nothing like a big bowl of hot soup to drive away the "cold weather blues". Surfing the net for some ideas, I stumbled upon a certain Soup No. 5 "Viagra Soup". Haha ... I wonder if that's how they make the infamous pill from scratch. Using beef penis along with other chinese medicinal herbs like "dang shen" aka "tong-shen" and chinese yam "wai san" and whatnot. For my own anti-"chill pill", I thought I'd stick with the basics, the No. 1 "Cleansing Soup".

Infected by Simscooks's detox diet, I wasted no time in getting some watercress myself. I also rummaged through my fridge for some known anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients to enrich my watercress soup. I found some goji berries, figs & dried longan - ingredients that should provide the necessary nutrients to start my cleansing process after a week-long battle with the flu. Goji berries (wolfberries OR gogi berries), are raisin-like dried fruit which are evidently known to improve cell communication among other health promoting properties. Figs, yet another one of my sweet discoveries, are rich in fiber and healthy minerals. I don't particularly enjoy eating the figs, I just like the way just a couple of them can enhance a whole pot of soup with a mild sweet fruity flavor. As for the dried longan, I read somewhere that they are "brain food", which is good, for I am quite forgetful nowadays :( To further make up for my protein deprivation, I added a couple of chicken feet and meaty pork bones. Oh what the heck, let's get a little crazy and throw in another one of my favourite ingredients for any kind of soup .. fish balls :P

Final verdict : One beeeg bowl of a sweet, hearty, and "interior"-cleansing soup :)

Watercress Soup With Asian Herbs Recipe

Ingredients :
4 pc. chicken feet
2 pc. meaty pork bones
6 fish balls
3 figs
1 tbsp goji berries
1 tbsp dried longan
1 bunch watercress
salt to taste

Method :
1) Dump all the ingredients (except the watercress and fish balls) in a soup pot, and cook to a boil. The watercress turn soggy fast and the fish balls are pre-cooked so you can add them in later.
2) Let it simmer for at least 20 minutes in medium heat.
3) Add watercress and fish balls in and simmer for an additional 10 minutes before serving.