Posted in Asian, Oriental, tagged asian, Chinese, pork on October 16, 2011 - 21:46 | Leave a Comment »
It’s funny how we often crave the foods we enjoyed when we were children. This recipe is based on a dish my mother used to make, and still makes. Thinly sliced, boneless, pork chops are marinated in a mixture of Marsala wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and spring onions.
The combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and spring onions bring out the Chinese-influence on this dish. Although my mother used to use Sherry (more…)
Posted in Dairy-Free, Dessert, Ice-Cream, Oriental, Vegan, tagged dairy-free, ice cream, vegan on September 19, 2011 - 00:01 | 3 Comments »
Ever since I ordered black sesame jin dui (fried sesame glutinous rice balls) at a dim sum restaurant in Vancouver B.C., J has been slightly obsessed with the aromatic flavor of black sesame seeds. He refused to eat any jin dui stuffed with red bean paste! I, on the other hand, am no stranger to the wonderful aromas of black sesame seeds. One of my favorite desserts is sweet black sesame soup.
When I saw the recipe for “black sesame ice cream” in my latest test book “The Vegan Scoop”, I just had to try it! I adapted the recipe by toasting (more…)
Posted in Dessert, Oriental, Snacks, tagged Chinese, summer on August 15, 2011 - 23:43 | Leave a Comment »
You have to believe me when I tell you that this is not a bowl of thickened squid ink.
It’s a dessert/snack, which tastes like a grass jelly flavored Angel Delight (pudding). The creation was made purely accidentally. I had half a can of grass jelly left, and I wanted to make it into a drink with rock sugar syrup… only the amount of syrup I used was not substantial enough to make a drink, but a silky dessert/snack.
I thought it was pretty pleasant. However, if the black gelatinous mass doesn’t put you off, (more…)
Posted in Dessert, Oriental, Snacks, tagged summer on August 15, 2011 - 23:20 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve been going through a weird phase recently. I’ve been craving foods from my childhood… often the ones that I hated then. The most recent craving was Chinese grass jelly.
It was warm in Seattle for about a week, and all I could think about was a bowl of nicely chilled Chinese grass jelly with rock sugar syrup. Only I didn’t have any at home. The idea of this jelly normally disgusts me, (more…)
Posted in Oriental, tagged Chinese, fried rice, prawns, quick and easy on April 16, 2011 - 21:50 | Leave a Comment »
Let’s get back to basics.
Plain egg fried rice is one of the easiest, quickest, simplest and cheapest Chinese dishes you can make. It can be served as a side dish or as a main meal. The best part is that you can add anything to it to make it a little more substantial. In this recipe I’ve added prawns (shrimp), but feel free to omit them, or add something else. It’s also a great way of making use of any leftover rice.
I’ve cut down on the amount of oil used typically in Chinese restaurants, mainly because I think it is unnecessary. (more…)
Posted in Breads, Oriental, tagged BBQ, buns, char siu, Chinese, dim sum, roast pork on April 11, 2011 - 00:56 | 10 Comments »
One of J’s favorite dim sum items is char siu bao – baked or steamed, he loves both the same. Only the other day, we were in Uwajimaya and he felt hungry for something warm. He opted for steamed BBQ pork buns. He offered me a bite, but I refused – the dough looked rubbery, the interior was scarily red, and the meat was non-existent. Ugh!
I’ve only ever made baked char siu bao once. It was not that they weren’t super-tasty, they were. They just took a lot of effort to make. However, one evening whilst surfing for food porn, (more…)
Posted in Oriental, tagged chicken, Chinese, dumpling, wonton on January 28, 2011 - 00:54 | 2 Comments »
I know, I know, traditional Chinese wontons should be made of minced (ground) pork. My mother always makes wontons with minced (ground) pork and prawns (shrimp). However, I wanted to try with chicken. Why? It’s not that we don’t dig on swine, it’s just because we don’t eat much pork these days.
The filling consists of minced (ground) chicken thighs, shiitake mushrooms, spring (green) onions, water chestnuts, Chinese leaf (napa cabbage) and seasonings. (more…)
Posted in Oriental, Soups, tagged chicken, curry, soup, winter on January 15, 2011 - 18:10 | 1 Comment »
One of the best things about the passing of summer is the availability of pumpkins! I use the term pumpkins loosely here, I also mean winter squash. We love winter squash; we love homemade soup; we love coconut milk and we love Thai curry… so, this soup was born! It’s the perfect winter warmer.
Chicken is simmered with delicata squash (or kabocha) and potatoes (or rice) in a coconut curry soup base. It’s creamy, well-flavored and has all the major food groups. If you’re vegetarian, feel free to substitute the chicken for tofu. (more…)
Posted in Oriental, Vegan, Vegetarian, tagged Coconut, curry, thai curry, tofu, vegan on July 18, 2010 - 13:08 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve been meaning to post this entry for a long time… but I keep forgetting! It’s a delicious vegan dish (when omitting the fish sauce), which I make when we have a meat-less dinner. You really won’t miss the meat in this recipe.
The curry is well flavored and very mild. I’d compare it almost to a korma. The addition of the creaminess from the coconut milk makes this dish ultra-dreamy. Serve this over freshly cooked rice. (more…)
Posted in Cakes, Dessert, Oriental, Pastries, Snacks, tagged Chinese, custard, dessert, dim sum, egg tart on June 20, 2010 - 17:31 | Leave a Comment »
I’m back!
I put in 60+ hours in my first working week. This was because I was stashing away hours, so when my brother was visiting from the UK, I didn’t have to work. It worked out pretty well. I’m now back on 40 hours a week, which gives me more procrastination time in the kitchen.
I have a love for egg custard. It’s the combination of milk, sugar and eggs that is ever-so tempting for me. It could be plain old crème anglaise, crème patisserie or just a good ole egg custard tart. Portuguese, Chinese or English – I love them all. I am known to devour numerous egg tarts at one sitting. (more…)
