Pork and Bitter Gourd

Why would anyone want to eat a bitter vegetable? Bitter gourd is very bitter but someone in my family likes it so I have researched ways to make it less bitter and I think I have finally acquired the taste for this nutritious and unique vegetable. It is very low in calories and an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fiber. It is even good for getting rid of acne.

Bitter gourd is often used in a stir fry with pork or beef with black beans, steamed with pork spare ribs or cooked in soup. It can even be served as an appetizer – very thinly sliced raw bitter gourd on a bed of shaved ice and eaten with honey as a dipping sauce – the cool, sweet taste makes it very refreshing.

Here’s a tip to remove the bitter taste:

First, cut the bitter gourd into half (see photo) and slice each half lengthwise. Then, using a tablespoon scoop out all the seeds and as much of the white pulp as possible. Next, slice it horizontally. Place the slices in a bowl and sprinkle 1 tsp salt over them and mix thoroughly. Let the slices sit for half an hour in the bowl. Lastly, squeeze out and discard as much of the juice as possible. This takes out most of the bitter taste.

1 bitter gourd, sliced and bitter taste removed
200 g (1/2 lb) pork, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp of light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp water

1-2 tbsps cooking oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce + 1-2 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Method:

1. Marinate the pork slices with light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, corn starch and water for half an hour.
2. Blanch the bitter gourd in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and put aside.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan, stir fry the minced garlic until fragrant (don’t let them turn brown), then add in the pork slices and stir fry until it is almost cooked.
4. Add in the blanched bitter gourd slices and stir fry together with the pork. Add in one tbsp of oyster sauce and 1-2 tbsp of water. If you find the bitter gourd is still too bitter for your taste buds, add in 1 tsp sugar. Stir fry until the water evaporates.
5. Serve with hot rice.

My Mother’s Radish Cake

Chinese New Year is just around the corner! In my family, the Radish Cake  (蘿蔔糕 or  “Luo Bak Go”  in Cantonese) is a vital part of our celebration. It is not only popular among Cantonese families during Chinese New Year, it is also one of the popular items in dim sum restaurants, served either steamed or pan fried throughout the year.

I learned to make this cake from my mother. It is probably more accurate to call it Radish Pudding but its Chinese name is translated as ‘cake’. There are several variations of this recipe. Every Cantonese family probably has its own favorite family recipe.  For example, my 2nd aunt in Hong Kong swears by her own version. Whichever recipe you use, it does require a lot of hard work – grating by hand of 3 or 4 large radishes and lots of chopping and stirring. So, I only make it once a year.  The radishes are most juicy and sweet during winter and the other ingredients are very simple. Once I get started on this task, I usually steam 2 or 3 pans of radish cake.  It keeps well in the fridge for 2 weeks.  I prepare them in advance of Chinese New Year.  Just before serving, it is sliced into pieces of 1 cm thickness, then lightly pan-fried.  A quick and ready treat for guests or for my family’s breakfast.

So, here’s the recipe for homemade Radish Cake for those of you who miss waking up to the smell of your mom’s Luo Bak Go. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

3 or 4 white radish (also called daikon or turnip, about 2 kg)
500 g finely ground rice flour (look for “粘米粉” on the label for the correct type of rice flour)
4 Chinese sausages (chopped)
1/2 cup dried shrimp (soaked for half an hour)
1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked overnight and chopped)
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 small pot of boiling water (about 3-4 cups)
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Grate the radish and put aside.

2. Stir fry together the chopped Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms and baby shrimp and put aside.

3. Fry the radish over slow heat.  Add salt and sugar to taste. The radish will cook in its own juice.  (If your radish is not very juicy, you may add a little bit of water). Cook for about half an hour or until the radish is soft and moist.

4. Mix the flour into the radish slowly.  Add a bit of flour at a time, stirring to make sure it is well mixed in. Add a bit of boiling water each time the mixture gets too dry and difficult to stir. The mixture will be lumpy.

5. Stir into the mixture, the corn starch and 3/4 of the fried ingredients from step 2.

6.  Grease the bottom and sides of a shallow pan with vegetable oil.

7.  Pour the mixture into the pan.  Smooth the top with the back of a spoon and garnish the top with the remaining fried ingredients.

8.  Steam for about 1 hour or until a chopstick, stuck in the middle of the pan, comes out clean.

 

Winter Melon Soup

Happy New Year!  I had started writing this post last week but didn’t get the chance to finish it.   My kids came back for Christmas this year.  It was so wonderful to have everyone home again!  So much catching up to do,  making excursions to various places all over the city to indulge in their favorite local foods – hainanese chicken rice, satay, roti prata, xiao long bao dumplings, la mian noodles, dim sum, butter chicken with naan bread,  hokkien fried noodles, teppanyaki, laksa, kueh tutu, muah chee, ice kacang and tea tarik etc, making childhood treats that they missed and baking for Christmas.

As if that wasn’t enough to cause food coma, we took time off to celebrate Dongzhi Festival … by another round of eating! To people from Hong Kong or China, Dongzhi or the Winter Solstice Festival (冬至 which means the Arrival of Winter) is one of the most important festivals in the year.  It is almost as important as Chinese New Year which is a very big deal. Dongzhi is sort of like Thanksgiving.   Traditionally, family members would travel for miles to get together for a reunion dinner.  When we lived in Hong Kong where we have a large extended family, everybody from uncles, aunts, cousins and their children – would gather in my in-laws’ home for dinner.  Imagine a table heaving with dishes like steamed fish, giant tiger prawns, chicken with fragrant ginger and spring onion dipping sauce, roast pork with golden, crispy skin, braised mushrooms in oyster sauce and jade green pea shoots (dou miao) stir fried with garlic.    There were so many people in the tiny apartment that sometimes we had to eat in shifts!

For our own Dongzhi celebration that just passed,  I made a much simpler meal and a classic Chinese soup – Winter Melon Soup. Winter melon itself is quite mild in taste, so to make this soup flavorful, I added ingredients like dried scallops and ham. I like to use Yunnan ham (available in some Chinese groceries) and renowned for its rich flavor and the taste is truly outstanding.  If you don’t have any Yunnam ham, you may omit it or substitute it with ordinary ham.

1 and 1/2 lbs winter melon
4 oz lean pork (cut into thick slices)
2 oz ham (cut into cubes, optional)
4 black shiitake mushrooms (soaked overnight and cut into small cubes)
2 dried scallops (soaked overnight)
2 honey dates
3 red dates
2 slices ginger
2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
2 oz small shelled shrimp or crab meat (optional)

1.  Wash the dried shiitake mushrooms.  Soak them overnight, then cut into small cubes.

2.  Wash the dried scallops and soak them overnight.  Save the liquid they are soaked in. This liquid can be added to the soup.

3.  Remove and discard the skin from the winter melon.  Remove and discard the center part (soft pulp with seeds).  Then cut the rest of the winter melon into small cubes

4.  Place the pork in a pot with just enough water to cover it. Parboil the pork for a few minutes to remove the blood and scum.  Pour away the water that is used for parboiling.

5.  Put all the ingredients in the pot.  Fill the pot with 8 cups of water and boil on high for 20 minutes until it comes to a rolling boil.  Then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour. If too much liquid had evaporated during the boiling process, add in an extra cup of water and bring it to a boil again.

6.  Remove the ginger slices before serving.

Beef with Oyster Sauce

We have been trying to eat more healthy for the past year, so we have been cutting down on red meat.  However, once in a while, I get this irresistible craving for a good steak or anything beef.  I would feel hungry all the time and that hunger would not be satisfied unless I ate meat. Sound familiar?  This is a very common Chinese dish and it doesn’t require a lot of beef but it hits the spot for me.  It is also quick and easy to cook and goes so well with rice.

1 lb beef (flank steak or sirloin steak)
2 slices ginger

Marinade for beef:
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp water

Seasoning sauce:
2 Tbsp oyster sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Sauce)
1 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 lb green vegetable eg lettuce or baby bok choy

Method:
1. Slice the beef thinly into 1 inch squares. (I use pre-sliced sukiyaki beef from the Japanese supermarket because I am lazy!)
2. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Marinate the beef for at least 1 hour. Add in 1 tsp cooking oil and mix well.
3. Wash and boil the green vegetables in boiling water for 2 mins. Drain and arrange the vegetables on a serving dish.
4. Combine all the ingredients for the seasoning sauce in a small bowl and put aside.
5. Heat up 1-2 Tbsp cooking oil and ginger in a frying pan and quickly saute the beef on high heat until it turns light brown, about 10 to 20 seconds. Turn off the heat and stir in the seasoning sauce immediately. It is ok to turn off the heat even when the beef slices are still slightly pink in the center part (95% cooked) because the residual heat from the frying pan will continue to cook it.
6. Pour the beef over the green vegetables and serve with rice.

Green Radish and Carrot Soup

It has been raining practically every day.  This month could be the wettest December here in several years.  We don’t have a winter season, it is called the monsoon season.  It is usually hot and sunny in the morning followed by mid-day thundery showers that last well into the evening rush hour.  The weather report says that the amount of rain recorded for the four days of December alone is already half that seen for the entire month last year!  I think my mint plant has become the latest casualty of this rainy season.

So, my thoughts have turned to making soup.  It’s light and healthy and a perfect accompaniment to tonight’s meal of miso grilled codfish, stir fried vegetables and rice.

1 lb lean pork
1 lb green radish
1 lb carrots
2 honey dates
4 red dates
2 dried figs
1 Tbsp Chinese south almonds (optional)
1 Tbsp Chinese north almonds (optional)
10 cups of water

Method:

1. Cut the pork into slices of 1/2 inch thickness.  Boil a small pot of water to blanch the pork slices.  Drain and set the pork aside.

2. Peel the green radish and carrots.  Wash and cut into chunks of 1 inch thickness.

3. Rinse the honey dates, red dates, figs, north and south almonds and set aside.

4. Put all the ingredients into a big pot and add 10 cups of water.  Cook on high heat and bring to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat and let it simmer on low heat for one to one and half hours.  Add salt to taste and serve hot.

Note:  North and south almonds can be found in Chinese grocery shops. They are actually apricot kernels. They don’t add any discernible flavor to the soup but are common ingredients in traditional soups – they are supposed to relieve internal heat and soothe coughs.

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

This chicken soup will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. As the soup simmers, a rich, mouth-watering aroma wafts through the air, teasing and testing your patience against the clock. Imagine supple chunks of chicken, flavorful red wolfberries (attractive and also nourishing to your body!), and black shiitake mushrooms in a clear golden broth.

Whenever the whole extended family gets together to celebrate festive occasions like Dragon Boat Festival or Winter Festival, my mother-in-law will prepare this soup with a whole chicken; a very big pot for 10-12 people! For the kids and I, Grandma’s Famous Chicken Soup is no ordinary soup but is synonymous with feeling of the love and warmth of family reunion. Here’s how to cook the delicious broth in a small kitchen using 3 big chicken thighs (with attached drumsticks).

Ingredients:

3  chicken thighs with drumsticks

2 – 3 pieces dried scallops (soaked overnight)

2 pieces of dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked overnight)

1 small piece of pork, about 30 grams, cut into smaller chunks

a handful of wolfberries (washed and drained)

10 cups of water

2 stalks of spring onion

1 small piece of fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter (25 cents coin)

 salt to taste

Method:

1.  Wash and soak the dried shiitake mushrooms overnight.   Throw away the water in which you soaked the mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into small cubes.

2.  Wash and soak the dried scallops overnight in a cup of water.   Keep the water in which the dried scallops are soaked, it can be added to the soup.

3.   Remove the chicken skin by peeling it back over the drumstick and pulling it out at the leg bone part.  Wash and put the chicken pieces aside.

4.  Cover the pork in a bit of water and parboil it for a few minutes to get rid of the blood and scum.  Throw away the water.

5.  Put the chicken pieces into the pot with the pork.  Add all the other ingredients, 10 cups of fresh water and the water in which you soaked the dried scallops.  Cook over medium high heat for half an hour or until it becomes a rolling boil.   Reduce the heat and boil for another 1 hour.

6.  If necessary, add in 1 – 2 more cups of water towards the last half hour of the cooking period if you noticed that too much water had evaporated.

Hint:

If you had forgotten to soak the dried shiitake mushrooms or the dried scallops the night before, you can soak them in hot water (separately) at least 2 hours before cooking and it would be almost as good. Enjoy! 🙂

Steamed Eggs

Steamed Eggs is deceptively simple to make.  Yet, it is so difficult to achieve that smooth, velvety texture that cuts cleanly when you dig in with a spoon. Like a silken tofu yet taste like a savory, custardy mouthful – so comforting and delicious to go with rice!  It is sometimes called Steamed Water Eggs because traditionally it is made with water. Some people like to add minced pork or seafood to this dish.  But I like mine made with just eggs and chicken broth.

I actually spent years trying to make the perfect Steamed Eggs – no more of that pock-marked surface or rubbery texture ….. all to no avail – until one day, my my mother-in-law told me the secret which I will tell you in this post.

4 eggs
chicken broth or water

1. For a lower cholesterol recipe, use one egg and 3 egg whites.
2. Beat the eggs and pour into a shallow dish.
3. Stir in enough chicken broth (or water) to cover 1 cm over the level of the egg mixture that is already in the dish.
4. Use a spoon to remove as much of the froth as possible.
5. Cover the dish with a pot lid or an over-turned flat plate. This is the key to the silky smooth texture.
6. Put the covered dish into the steamer and steam it on medium heat for about 8 minutes. If your stove is on too high, it might cook faster than 8 minutes so it is a good idea to check after 6 minutes. The steamed eggs are done when the color has changed to a light opaque yellow and the center doesn’t wiggle.  (One reason why I prefer to use a glass pot lid to cover the steamed eggs is so that I can see if the center is cooked or not.)
7. If you had used water instead of chicken broth, then flavor the dish by drizzling a dash of sesame oil and light soy sauce on top. Best eaten with rice.

Long Beans and Minced Pork

Chinese long beans come in long bundles, each string is about 1 – 2 feet long.  You can also use string beans for this recipe. I like to add a small portion of “zar choi” (Cantonese pronunciation) or “zha cai” (Mandarin pronunciation) to this recipe.  Zha Cai can be bought at the Chinese market.  It is actually some sort of pressed mustard that has been salted and preserved with chili paste, hence it can be kept refrigerated for up to a year or longer.  You cut off a small piece whenever a recipe calls for it, wash off the chili paste and chop it up.  It adds a nice zing of sweet, spicy, salty or sour to your dish.

1 bundle of long beans – cut into 2 inch pieces
4 oz or 120 g minced pork
1-2 Tbsp chopped pickled mustard “zha cai” (榨菜) – optional
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 – 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp cooking oil

Marinate for minced pork
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp water

Method
1. Marinate the minced pork with soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, corn starch, sesame oil and water for at least half an hour before cooking. Stir in the zha cai.
2. Wash and cut up the long beans into 1 inch long pieces. Discard the pieces with black spots.
3. Blanch the long beans in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. This step cuts down on the amount of oil and cooking time you would need to cook the long beans during the stir fry step.
4. Drain the long beans.
5. Heat up 2 Tbsp cooking oil in a pan. Add the minced garlic and fry for 10 seconds, then add the blanched and drained long beans. Add 1/2 tsp salt to the long beans and stir fry for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the marinated minced pork mixture to the pan and fry together with the long beans. Add 1-2 Tbsp oyster sauce. Stir fry until the pork is done. If it looks a bit dry, add a bit of water so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.
7. Dish up and serve with rice.

Steam Fish with Tofu

This is one of my favorite dishes – simply because it is so easy to prepare! And it takes only 8 minutes to cook. I like to use either a red garouper or green garouper or a sesame garouper. A pomfret works well too. I also like to steam it together with tofu – makes for a more substantial meal and tofu goes so well with the steam fish gravy!

In Hong Kong street markets, the garouper is often sold live (swimming in a fish tank). You pick the one you like by pointing at the fish, then the fishmonger will scoop it up, weigh it and gives you the price. If you are ok with the price, he will de-scale and gut the fish for you.

1 fish
1 piece soft tofu (optional) – cut into cubes
1 small piece of ginger – about 1/4 inch thickness – cut into narrow strips
1-2 stalks spring onion – sliced into 1 inch strips
light soy sauce or Lee Kum Kee brand flavored soy sauce for seafood
1-2 Tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. Trim off part of the tail and all the fins.
2. Wash the fish under running water for a minute or two until there are no more water bubbles.
3. Place the fish on a plate, with sliced ginger strips on the top and arrange pieces of soft tofu around it.
4. Steam the fish and tofu for 8 minutes.
5. While the fish is in the steamer, heat up 1 or 2 Tbsp of cooking oil.
6. Check the fish after 8 minutes. It might take a bit longer if your fish is big. The fish is cooked when you poke a bit of its flesh and it is white and opaque. It is important not to overcook the fish.
7. Immediately turn off the stove. Sprinkle the spring onions on top of the fish, drizzle with soy sauce and sizzling hot cooking oil.