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Black Beans in Adobo Sauce over Cumin Rice

18 July, 2011 (04:41) | Cookbook | By: admin

Some cool food images:

Black Beans in Adobo Sauce over Cumin Rice
food

Image by Kristin Brenemen
Simple, cheap food to fill many people’s bellies :)

Black Beans in Adobo Sauce

Ingredients
1 lb dried black beans
onion
salt and pepper
cumin
chipotle in adobo sauce
1 can diced tomatoes (salt free)

Directions
Soak the beans over night. Use plenty of water!
Early the next day, top with more water and add diced onion, the tomatoes, a healthy amount of pepper, a bit of salt, healthy amount of cumin, and a small can of chipotles in adobo sauce. Cook on high for 6~10 hours, depending on how soft you want them.

This has a little kick to it, but the chipotles gives it a smoky/sweet spice. I wish I put more in it honestly since I love spicy food.

Serve with over rice and then top with japanenos, cilantro, cheese, more tomatoes, more onions… you can top with anything. I just used lots of cilantro, personally.
Note: The guys brought some cajun sausage to add to the meal, so I just skillet-cooked the meat and added it to the pot after everything was done.

Cumin Rice
I use a rice cooker.
I cooked 4 cups of rice to go with the beans, and it may not have been enough. I often use jasmine, but this week it’s just plain long grain white rice.

In a skillet: quickly melt some butter and cumin seeds (whole) until the seeds are a ltitle browned. Don’t burn the butter! Dump this in the rice cooker with the raw rice and water. Add some lime juice (I use 1-2 cap fulls of real lime juice per cup and that may be a bit conservative) and then cook rice as directed.

Yum!

Lamb and Carrot Dumplings – Original Taste – Alpha
food

Image by avlxyz
—
Dinner for 8 at Original Taste Northern Chinese Food came to a reasonable AUD105. We were able to try a few more dishes this time, and everyone agreed that the food was good and the familiar flavours were combined in new and different ways. The salads were crunchy and light, while the stews were rich and satisfying. Wheat is the staple cereal in the North and we had dumplings andŃ different types of pancakes. With glass noodles, there was one made from sweet potato flour and flat and round varieties made from green mung bean flour. The chilli chicken could have been more of a Sichuan dish but it was crisp and tasty. According to the waitress, it is marinated in Chinese black rice vinegar.

The only problem is that I don’t remember the Chinese names because most of them were recommendations by the waitress.

Since I borrowed Hong’s 6 y.o. Fujifilm Finepix S602Zoom, we decided to compare results with our 2 y.o. Casio Exilim EX-Z8Ȓ.

As it turns out, the Finepix produced photos with better colours, but occasionally over-exposed photos, whereas the Exilim was more consistent. I wonder if the circuits inside the Finepix are getting a bit old? I remember using it for Cathy & Scott and Chris & James’ weddings and it was fine.

In terms of shutter lag and general responsiveness, the newer Exilim definitely won out over the older Finepix.

It’s probably not really fair to compare camera’s made 4 years apart! :P

源味香 东Œ—è馆
Original Taste Northern China Cuisine
930 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill
Tel: 03 9898 8787

Julia’s photos (Casio Exilim 𖋢):
- Home-style Salad
- Jellyfish, Squid – 6 Taste Salad
- Belly Pork and Preserved Cabbage Stew – flash
- Belly Pork and Preserved Cabbage Stew
- Chicken and Mushroom Stew
- Chilli Fried Chicken

Alpha’s photos (http://www.flickr.com/cameras/fujifilm/finepix_s602_zoom/):
- Home-style Salad
- Jellyfish, Squid – 6 Taste Salad
- Belly Pork and Preserved Cabbage Stew
- Chicken and Mushroom Stew
- Chilli Fried Chicken
- Stir-Fried French Bean, Pork Mince and Preserved Vegetable
- Stir-Fried French Bean, Pork Mince and Preserved Vegetable on pancake
- Spring Onion Pancake
- Lamb and Carrot Fried Dumplings
- Feng and JX hiding

Camera reviews:
- Fujifilm Finepix S602Zoom – Digital Photography Review
- www.flickr.com/cameras/fujifilm/finepix_s602_zoom/
- Casio Exilim EX-Z850 – Digital Photography Review
- Casio Exilim 𖋢 – flickr

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Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Eggs (滷蛋)

5 February, 2011 (07:46) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Eggs (»·è)

January 28th, 20ǫ | Chinese, Chinese Recipes | 1 Comment

I promised you my Chinese braised soy sauce eggs Recipe (滷蛋) in the Taiwanese scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面) post, so here you go. This is a super easy recipe, and the best thing is that you can save the braising soy sauce stock (滷æ°´汁) in the fridge and re-use it again to make the eggs or even tofu (bean curd). I usually use the stock for 2-3 times before I discard it. As many Chinese cooks or chefs would tell you, the  flavor of the braising stock develops as time goes by…some restaurants  just keep using their stock for as long as they stay in the business (I kid you not!)…

One ingredient that I like to add to my braising stock is a spice tea bag used for braising a variety of foods—chicken, pork, beef, peanuts, seaweed, tofu, etc. (You can check out the product picture here). It’s available at Asian stores and they are cheap and handy. It’s optional but a tea bag of the spice adds to the aroma and overall flavor. I did overcook my hard-boiled eggs because I forgot about the time and hence the greenish ring around the egg yolk; to make perfect hard-boiled eggs, please refer to this kitchen tip by Good Life Eats.

Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Eggs

6-12 hard-boiled eggs
4 cups water
2 – 2 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 stick cinnamon
3 star anise
1 spiced tea bag (汉宫滷包), optional
Salt to taste

Method:

Prepare the hard-boiled eggs.

Heat up the water in a pot and bring it to boil. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the eggs) into the pot. Lower the heat to medium and boil for about 15 minutes. Add the eggs into the stock and let steep in the stock for a few hours. For the best result, leave the eggs in the braising stock  overnight to further develop the flavor.

Cook’s Note:

  1. I like my soy sauce eggs dark for deeper flavor, hence I used quite a bit of dark soy sauce. Use lesser if you prefer the lighter color soy sauce eggs.
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Chili Crab (Crab in Sour and Spicy Sauce)

1 February, 2011 (09:10) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

Chili Crab (Crab in Sour and Spicy Sauce)

January 30th, 썛 | Chinese, Chinese Recipes, Malaysian recipes, Singaporean Recipes | 6 Comments

We will be leaving for Malaysia to celebrate Chinese New Year tomorrow morning. Before I leave, I feel obliged to share a very delicious Recipe with you, so here is my crab in sour and spicy sauce (…¸è蟹), or known as “chili crab” in Singapore. The timing couldn’t be better as Chinese (Lunar) New Year is just a few days away and I am sure many of you are scouring the web for a great recipe to share with the family.

I have an equally tasty home-style chili crab recipe (my late mother’s recipe) but this rendition with the eggy, sweet, sour, and spicy sauce is perfect for entertaining guests or simply when you want to have a crab feast. The sauce pairs beautifully with Chinese mantou—steamed or fried—as the bun sops up the scrumptious and addictive spicy and sour sauce. I prefer the soft and puffy steamed buns…

I made this for my good friends E and N last weekend and they practically begged me to share the recipe. I took them to the Asian market and got them the “starter kit” or ingredients to prepare this dish. For the crab, we are lucky as Dungeness crab is in season and the market will clean and cut it up for you. Save the shell and pick out the tamale or mustard inside the shell. Add them in the sauce and you will be rewarded with a richly flavorful sauce that you just can’t stop eating. You can also prepare this dish with mud crab, blue swimmer crab, or stone crab but I just love the fleshy Dungeness crab.

Enjoy!

Chili Crab (Crab in Sour and Spicy Sauce) Recipe

Ingredients:

2 – 2.5 lbDungeness crab
3 tablespoons oil
3 garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water (mix well)
1 egg, beaten
Salt to taste
12 steamed buns or mantou

Sour and Spicy Sauce

5 tablespoons ketchup
5 tablespoons Lingham’s Hot Sauce
1 heaping tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar or lime juice to taste
1 cup water


Method:

Clean the crab and cut into 6 pieces, drain the crab and discard the water seeping out of the crab. Pick out the tamale (or mustard) inside the crab shell, set aside. Discard the shell.

Mix all the ingredients in the Sour and Spicy Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat up a wok and add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the minced garlic and ginger and stir fry until aromatic or when they turn slightly brown. Add the crab and the tamale into the wok, stirring for about 10 seconds. Add the Sour and Spicy Sauce, stir to blend well with the crab. Cover the wok with its lid and let cook for about 4-5 minutes.

Uncover the wok and slowly add the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Stir the sauce until it thickens. Add the egg into the sauce and stir a few times so the egg is distributed evenly in the sauce. Cook for another 30 seconds or so, add salt to taste if needed. Dish out and serve immediately with the steaming hot buns.

Cook’s Notes:

  1. If you can’t find Chinese steamed buns where you are, you can try out this recipe by Almost Bourdain.
  2. I strongly recommend Lingham’s Hot Sauce for the best result. You can purchase it online at AsianSupermarket365.com.
  3. If you can€™t find Lingham’s Hot Sauce, you can make this dish with Sriracha but do adjust the quantity according to your taste as Sriracha is very spicy. If you use Sriracha, do add sugar into the sauce.

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Daging Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Beef)

11 January, 2011 (22:42) | Chinese food recipes | By: admin

Daging Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Beef)

January 11th, 2011 |ಞ-Minute Meals Recipes, Malay Cooking, Malaysian Recipes | 1 Comment

I haven’t posted Malaysian recipes for a while, so much so that sometimes I question myself if my blog’s name still fits its recent content. Malaysian food is my native cuisine and the passion, love, and enthusiasm I have will never change. Truth be told, I’ve been trying to save my Malaysian recipes, for the possible opportunity to work on a Malaysian cookbook in the future.

As most of you know, my Chinese cookbook will be released in Fall 2011 (most likely in September). I had wanted to write a Malaysian cookbook, sharing recipes and dishes that define the enormously diverse and scrumptious but underrated cuisine. Malaysian food is the unsung hero of Asian cuisines, as pointed out by Guardian UK recently. It’s too bad that the publishers in the US are not keen on a niche and somewhat unknown Malaysian cookbook. With the recent praises in the US media about Malaysian cuisine, such as Saveur 100 about kaya—a quintessential Malaysian concoction of coconut and egg jam, I hope that one day I’ll be able to shop for a deal to get a Malaysian cookbook published here in the United States.

Anyway, I digress…

Daging masak kicap or soy sauce beef is one of the beef dishes I often make at home. It’s an easy Malay Recipe but the taste is absolutely delicious. It takes only a few ingredients—a tender cut of beef, soy sauce, and sweet soy sauce. I use shallots as an aromatic but onion is equally fine. I love drizzling the sauce over my steamed white rice, with a side of sambal belacan for a truly homey Malaysian meal. Do try out this soy sauce beef recipe!


Daging Masak Kicap (Soy Sauce Beef) Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz beef flap meat, cut into pieces
2 shallots, sliced thinly (or 1/4 onion, sliced)
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons kicap/kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or to taste

Method:

Rinse the beef with water and cut it across the grain into pieces. Pat dry and set aside.

Heat up a wok with the oil. When the oil is heated, add the shallots and stir fry until aromatic or when the shallots turn light brown. Add the beef into the wok and stir for a few times. Add the sweet soy sauce and soy sauce and stir to blend well with the beef. Cook for a few minutes or until the beef is cooked through. Dish out and serve immediately.

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Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge (Squid with Black Bean Sauce)

28 August, 2010 (10:59) | Chinese food recipes | By: admin

August 27th, 2010 | Chinese, Chinese Recipes, Cookbook Review | 1 Comment

My cookbook manuscript is due in the next few days and I am very happy—and relieved—that I am almost done, well, at least the toughest part: cooking, shooting, writing, Recipe testing, and editing. To prep me for the writing part of my cookbook, I have read and researched many Chinese cookbooks in the past few months. One of my recent favorites is “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” by Grace Young.

I have been a fan of Grace Young since I first read her award-winning cookbook “The Breath of a Wok” and then discovered “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.” Her deep knowledge and intense passion for Chinese woks (and stir-frying) are eminently admirable. To me, her investments—both in time and dedication—in these fundamentals of Chinese cooking is way beyond being a cookbook author; in fact, she has become a scholar in my eyes, the ones that I hold high respect and regard for. Even though I grew up eating Chinese food and watching my late mother cooking with a wok, my knowledge about these subjects was mostly taken for granted. I’ve never questioned the why’s and how’s, until I read Grace’s books. Needless to say, I have personally learned so much about Chinese stir-frying and the wok from reading her books…

“Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” is a collection of authentic Chinese stir-fry recipes, shared by Grace and many Chinese home cooks and chefs from around the world. Coming from Malaysia, I am especially delighted to find a Malaysian-style stir-fried shrimp recipe in the cookbook. The chapters on woks, seasoning methods, and stir-frying are resourceful and insightful, especially for those who have just started to learn about Chinese cooking. What’s so special about the book is that it’s the first cookbook to explain in detail all the tips one needs to know to stir-fry with success, including the best oil for stir-frying, cooking in a newly seasoned wok, and more. The book is also chock-full of beautiful and colorful photographs of the recipes, prepared and styled by Grace. I have to confess that I have a serious case of prop envy when I look through her book. I only wish that Grace would live in Southern California so I could borrow her props.

Here is one of my favorite stir-fried recipes in the book: stir-fried squid with black bean sauce. I am on a special diet that doesn’t allow me to consume squid now, but as soon as I can, I am definitely going to try this recipe.

To learn more about Grace Young and her work, please check out her site: graceyoung.com. If you wish to buy “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge,” please click here. To connect with Grace on Twitter, follow her at @stirfrygrace.

Stir-Fried Squid with Black Bean Sauce Recipe
Source: Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, Grace Young
Serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multicourse meal

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh cleaned squid
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1∕2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fermented black beans, rinsed and mashed
1 tablespoon chopped scallion, white part only
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
3∕4 cup thinly sliced onions
2 teaspoons finely shredded ginger
1∕2 cup julienned red bell peppers
1∕4 teaspoon salt
1∕8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
12 snow peas, strings removed

Method：

1. Cut each squid body in half lengthwise. Using a　very sharp knife, lightly score the inside of the bodies in a crisscross pattern. Cut the squid into 11∕2-inch　squares and the tentacles into 2-inch pieces.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan bring 1 quart water to a boil　covered over high heat. Add the squid and blanch 10 seconds or until the squid turns opaque and curls. Drain well in a colander, shaking out all the excess water. Set the squid on paper towels and blot dry to remove excess moisture. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. In another small bowl combine the sesame oil, cornstarch, and the remaining 1 tablespoon broth.

3. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the peanut oil, add the fermented black beans, scallion, and garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Add the onions and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute or until the onions just wilt. Add the bell peppers, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the bell pepper begins to soften. Add the rice wine and stir-fry 20 seconds or until just combined. Add the squid and snow peas to the wok, swirl in the soy sauce mixture, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the snow peas are bright green. Restir the cornstarch mixture, swirl it into the wok, and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the squid is just cooked.

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Sweet and Sour Sauce

27 June, 2010 (06:35) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

A quick and easy recipe that can be poured over a dish or used as a dipping sauce. A Recipe for sweet and sour sauce using black rice vinegar can be found here.

Yields about 1/2 cup

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (Note: rice vinegar gives better results)
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Preparation:

Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

(If desired, you can add 1 green pepper, cut into chunks, and pineapple chunks as desired after adding the cornstarch. For a thicker sauce, increase the cornstarch to 4 teaspoons while keeping the water constant.)

Reader Comments:
You have probably heard this before but I tried your sweet and sour sauce using rice vinegar, and absolutely love it. My daughter is allergic to some red food colourings so we generally avoid sweet and sour.  (Your recipe) was soooo good I decided to make a second batch ; unfortunately I was now out of rice vinegar. Well…white vinegar just doesn’t cut it girl !!! I am now going to make sure there is rice vinegar at all times in my pantry. From Lynn

The Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe has an average rating of 3.9, based on 33 reviews.

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/sauces/r/sweetandsour.htm

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Chicken in Garlic Sauce

25 June, 2010 (00:40) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

Sweet bok choy and pungent garlic lend flavor to this stir-fried chicken recipe.
More Chinese Chicken Recipes
  • 3 medium chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 3 large bok choy stalks with leaves
  • Marinade:
  • 1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  • 1 green onion, diced
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 TB water
  • 1 tsp white rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp black rice vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Other:
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 4 teaspoons water
  • 4 to 5 TB oil for stir-frying, as needed
Cut the chicken into thin strips about 2-inches long. Add the rice wine or sherry, green onion and the cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the bok choy and the sauce. Separate the bok choy leaves and stalks, and cut both cross-wise into thin strips.
Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat wok and add 2 TB oil. When oil is ready, add the chicken and stir-fry until it turns white and is nearly cooked. (Stir-fry in two batches if necessary). Drain the stir-fried chicken on paper towels.
Clean out the wok and add 2 – 3 TB oil. When oil is ready, add the bok choy stalks. Stir-fry briefly and add the leaves.

Push the bok choy up to the sides of the wok and add the sauce in the middle. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the sauce and stir rapidly to thicken.

Add the chicken. Mix through and serve hot. Serves 4.

Nutritional Breakdown per serving (based on 3 servings and 4 TB oil for stir-frying): 451 calories (kcal), 21 g Total Fat (18 g Monounsaturated Fat), 57 g Protein, 5 g Carbohydrate, 137 mg Cholesterol, 818 mg Potassium, 424 mg Sodium, 1g Fiber

Reader Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Reader Review: The sauce was so easy to make and very tasty–I used tofu and added other vegetables (brocoli and mushrooms). From Donna
 

The Chicken in Garlic Sauce Recipe has an average rating of , based on 2 reviews.

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/poultryrecad/r/bokchoychicken.htm

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Beef With Oyster Sauce

23 June, 2010 (17:20) | Chinese Food Culture | By: admin

Ever wonder how Chinese restaurants make stir-fried beef turn out so tender? Author Deh-Ta Hsiung writes that the secret is to “use an inexpensive cut of beef, marinate in a special marinade, and finish off with oyster sauce.”

Ingredients:

  • 10 – 12 ounces (275 – 350 grams) beef steak, such as topside rump
  • 4 – 6 small dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked
  • about 1 pint (500 ml, 2 cups) seasoned oil* (see below)
  • a few small bits of fresh ginger root
  • 1 spring onion, cut into short sections
  • 4 ounces (115 grams) mangetout (snow peas), topped and tailed
  • 1/2 small carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon soft brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • For the marinade:
  • 1/2 teaspoon soft brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dark or light soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons thick cornflour (cornstarch) paste – (1 part cornstarch with 1.2 parts cold water)
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Preparation:

Cut the beef across the grain into thin slices about the size of a large postage stamp, and marinate in the marinade for several hours – overnight if possible. Squeeze dry the mushrooms and discard any hard stalks.
Heat the oil in a preheated wok until medium hot (300 – 325 degrees F.), blanch the beef for about 40 – 50 seconds, stir to separate the slices, then remove as soon as the color changes. Drain. Pour off the excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the wok, stir-fry the vegetables for 1 minute, add the salt and sugar, continue stirring for another minute, then add the beef and the oyster sauce, blend well and serve hot. Serves 4.
*How to season vegetable oil
Pour about 1 pint (600 ml) vegetable oil into a pre-heated wok or saucepan over a high heat, add 2 – 3 small pieces of ginger root. In a few minutes, the ginger pieces should rise to the surface. Now watch the color of the ginger; when it turns from pale yellow to dark brown, turn off the heat and let the oil cool down a little before removing the ginger pieces. Then store the seasoned oil in a container.

Recipe reprinted with permission.

Top Beef Stir-fry recipes

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/beef/r/BeefOysterSauce.htm

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