Black Bean Sauce Bitter Melon Chicken (蒜蓉豆豉苦瓜雞, Syun3 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Gai1)

I was rather surprised that I haven’t published this basic recipe, since chicken and bitter melon with black bean garlic sauce is a commonly found dish in restaurants and in homes (well, at least in my home). The version of this dish found in Cantonese restaurants does not have any added spiciness (i.e. no chili peppers) and that is reflected in this recipe. The red bell pepper adds color and sweetness to the dish, while the bitter melon adds the bitterness associated with this dish. The bitterness of the bitter melon can be controlled by salting the wet bitter melon pieces for up to 10 minutes; more than 10 minutes and the bitterness is mostly removed, so it doesn’t take the salt too long to remove the bitterness. The salt can be omitted if you like the full bitterness of bitter melon.

Enjoy!

Grilled Sambal Oelek Turkey Thighs (燒烤素辣椒火雞髀, Siu1 Haau1 Sou3 Laat6 Ziu1 Fo2 Gai1 Bei2)

This recipe was updated on 21 Oct 2015. Some instructions were changed and the Cantonese name for the recipe was added.

Here’s another grilled turkey thigh recipe, similar to the Grilled Ground Chili Garlic Oil Turkey Thighs recipe. The main seasoning in marinade is Sambal Oelek, which is ground fresh chili paste. Turkey thighs are my choice when I want to grill a small batch of turkey. I eat some of the turkey and then use the leftovers for sandwiches. My local supermarket now sells two fresh turkey thighs in a vacuum sealed package, so it’s very convenient to just grill the two thighs rather than having to thaw a whole turkey.

Enjoy!

Basil Long Bean Chicken Chow Mein (紫蘇豆角雞炒麵, Zi2 Sou1 Dau6 Gok3 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

Fresh basil adds a nice flavor to this noodle dish. If you made this dish without the basil, you would notice the contrast in taste. Bamboo shoot strips are also used and is a hidden way to provide added crunchiness to the dish. The bamboo shoots blend into the noodles and most people won’t notice them. If you can find fresh bamboo shoot strips at your local Asian market, use them instead of the canned version. Long beans cut into small pieces are also used to provide added texture to the dish.

Enjoy!

Basil Noodles in Sauce (紫蘇乾撈麵, Zi2 Sou1 Gon1 Lou1 Min6)

This recipe is similar to Noodles in Sauce (乾撈麵, Gon¹ Lou¹ Min⁶), except that it uses leftover chicken and adds basil. Basil adds another nice flavor to the noodles that compliments the oyster sauce used in the dish. Using leftover chicken (e.g. from the Mom’s Grilled Soy Sauce Chicken (燒烤豉油雞, Siu¹ Haau¹ Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), Grilled Chili Sauce Chicken (Siu¹ Haau¹ Sin¹ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Gai¹, 燒烤鮮辣椒鷄), or Grilled Ginger Peach Chicken (燒烤薑桃子雞, Siu¹ Haau¹ Goeng¹ Tou⁴ Zi² Gai¹) recipes) means that you don’t have to cook the chicken when you make the noodles. If you don’t have leftover chicken, use any other leftover meat in your refrigerator to make this dish.

As I commented in the Noodles in Sauce (乾撈麵, Gon¹ Lou¹ Min⁶) recipe, the dish’s name is more the result of the Cantonese translation since there’s very little sauce in this recipe. You can simplify the dish even more by using just the oyster sauce (straight from the bottle) and the dish will still taste good.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Sauce Cloud Ear Chicken (蒜蓉豆豉雲耳雞, Syun3 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Wan4 Ji5 Gai1)

Black bean sauce and chicken is a classic combination of flavors and taste. This dish is not only about flavors, but also has certain visual elements to it. A combination of red and green bell peppers and the (black) cloud ear fungus contributes to the color appeal of the dish, while the rectangular cuts of the bell peppers and chicken also contribute to the dish’s visuals. Using chicken breast meat allows for cutting regular pieces as opposed to using thighs (but use chicken thigh meat if that’s what you have on hand). If you can’t get fresh cloud ear fungus at your local Asian market, dried may be substituted – just rehydrate and be careful with the amount since dried greatly expands when rehydrated.

Enjoy!

Oyster Sauce Cashew Broccoli Chicken (蠔油腰果西蘭花雞, Hou4 Jau4 Jiu1 Gwo2 Sai1 Laan4 Faa1 Gai1)



Oyster sauce goes well with chicken and broccoli, and is one of my favorite dishes to make. Just that combination of ingredients makes a good recipe, but by adding cashew nuts, the dish gets the added texture and flavor of the nuts. The cashews are toasted and then added after cooking the dish. If you add the cashews while cooking the dish, the cashews will lose some crunchiness as they cook in the sauce.

Enjoy!

Grilled Garlic Chili Oil Turkey and Turkey Bacon Fried Rice

This recipe uses leftover Grilled Garlic Chili Oil Turkey Thighs. I used to use regular (pork) bacon when I made fried rice. Bacon adds a nice smoky flavor to any dish, but now that I more conscience about adding saturated fat to dishes, I use turkey bacon in its place. The taste is not quite the same as the pork bacon, but turkey bacon is healthier for you while providing similar flavor (I just use more). If you’ve looked at any of my other fried rice recipes, you’ll find a common theme– they are recipes to use leftovers. So when I go out to eat at restaurants, I rarely order fried rice!

Enjoy!

Chili Paste with Fermented Soy Bean Shrimp and Salmon (湖南豆豉辣椒鮭魚蝦, Wu4 Naam4 Dau6 Si6 Laat6 Ziu1 Gwai1 Jyu4 Haa1)

This is a nice and spicy recipe using shrimp and salmon. The hardest thing about making this dish is being gentle when stir frying the salmon so that it doesn’t break up into little pieces.

Enjoy!

Grilled Hickory Smoked Rib Eye Pork Chops

This is probably the most basic method to wood smoke (hickory, in this case) pork rib eye chops on a grill. There’s no marinating involved – just take the pork rib eye chops out of the refrigerator one hour before grilling, coat with oil, salt or Lawry’s seasoned salt, and pepper, and then grill. The flavor is also at its most basic – just pork and wood smoke (in this case hickory).

Enjoy!

Sea Cucumber, Shrimp, and Chicken with Abalone Sauce (鮑魚醬海參蝦雞, Baau1 Jyu4 Zoeng3 Hoi2 Sam1 Haa1 Gai1)

Happy Lunar New Year! Sea cucumber is an ocean sea slug treasured for its texture and (supposed) medicinal properties, and is a special occasion ingredient. White sea cucumber is prized over the black sea cucumber, and I used it in this first recipe for Lunar New Year’s. Sea cucumber (either color) is itself tasteless, so the taste of the dish comes from the other ingredients. It is available either dried or frozen at your local Asian herb store (dried version) or Asian market (frozen). So there is some preparation work that must be done before sea cucumber can be used in a dish. I prefer the frozen version since all you have to do is thaw it the day before using it.

There are really two cooking techniques needed to make this dish: stir frying and braising. The chicken, shrimp, and snow peas need to be stir fried before the coin mushrooms and sea cucumber are braised in the sauce and mushroom rehydration liquid to generate the flavor for the dish. This dish is made with a lot of sauce, which is provided by the mushroom rehydration liquid, adding the necessary volume for this dish. Since this is a festive dish, abalone sauce and brandy is used to make the sauce, but you can use oyster sauce and Shaoxing wine (which I normally use to make sauces).

Meat and seafood is a classic combination in Chinese dishes. Usually the meat part of the combination is pork and you’ll find may recipes using various parts of the pig with sea cucumber (I want to try making pig’s feet and sea cucumber!). Chicken as the meat with sea cucumber is unusual, but it certainly is tasty.

Enjoy!