Technique: How To Make Shrimp Crunchy

This is probably my last post for 2017. I want to wish you and your family the best for 2018. I hope you’ve enjoyed (and tried) this year’s recipes. As you might have noticed, there have been very few posts since early November. I took a long vacation to Asia for most of November and into early December, so the queue for new recipes is long (and growing larger). I’ve been wanting to start blogging about my travel, so to that end, I made an initial post about frozen turkey prices in Singapore. I expect to start adding more posts in the coming year, so keep an eye out for those posts. The travel blog can be found here: https://ducksoupeasytravel.blogspot.com.

For my last post this year, I decided to post a technique for making shrimp “crunchy”. This technique is really simple and I would urge you to try it so that your shrimp have the same texture as that found in restaurants.

The prawn or shrimp in restaurant dishes always have a crunchiness to them, while shrimp used at home lack texture. This is true for both fresh (which in the USA were previously frozen unless you happen to live a region that truly has fresh shrimp) and frozen shrimp. I’ve been looking for a way to emulate the texture of shrimp found in restaurants, but the methods that I’ve found on the internet involve more steps, ingredients, and work that make the process cumbersome.

I managed to find a way to reliably and simply produce crunchy shrimp, and it involves the use of baking soda. If you’ve read many of my recipes, baking soda is used to tenderize meats like to that found in restaurant dishes. In the case of shrimp, a baking soda solution can be used to give shrimp the crunchy texture like that found in restaurants.

The technique involves soaking the shrimp overnight in an iced baking soda solution and then, one hour before cooking, marinating the shrimp. If the shrimp is frozen, there’s no need to add ice to the solution. The shrimp may be left in the baking soda solution up to 48 hours, so there’s no need to use the shrimp all at once in a single dish. The shrimp should be left in the baking soda solution until one hour before cooking the dish. The crunchiness will disappear from the shrimp, once the shrimp is removed from the baking soda solution. Washing away the baking soda solution from the shrimp under cold water one hour before cooking (and marinating) gives the best results.

Enjoy!

Steamed Tianjin Preserved Vegetable White Bass (蒸天津冬菜鰤鱸魚, Zing1 Tin1 Zeon1 Dung1 Coi3 Lou4 Jyu4)

Tianjin Preserved Vegetable is used to provide the flavoring to this steamed fish dish. The preserved vegetables are very salty, so the amount used depends upon personal preference. I used white bass for the fish, but use any available fish to make this dish.

The fish is always finished with heated oil and a soy sauce mixture. You can use a small pot or a wok to heat the mixtures, but I’ve been using the microwave to heat the soy sauce mixture. As always, you need to be very careful when you pour heated oil and liquids on the fish, as the hot oil and liquid will pop and splatter off the fish.

Enjoy!

Doubanjiang Lemongrass Fish Ball Chicken (辣豆瓣酱檸檬葉魚蛋鷄, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Ning4 Mung4 Jip6 Jyu4 Daan6 Gai1)

Spicy broad bean paste (Doubanjiang) and lemongrass are the basis for the flavor of this chicken and fish ball dish. The Doubanjiang is first stir fried until it darkens in color and then the chicken is added to the mixture. This is the last step after all the other ingredients have been stir fried, which is backwards from the usual order of stir frying the chicken first in most other dishes. The dish can be made even spicier by adding fresh red chili peppers.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Pork Chops with Skin (燒烤豆科木豬排, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Zyu1 Paai4)

This is a variation on a previously posted recipe, Grilled Hickory Smoked Rib Eye Pork Chops, which uses the most basic method to wood smoke (mesquite, in this case) pork rib chops on a grill. For this recipe, pork rib chops with the skin on are used. Skin-on pork rib chops can be purchased at your local Asian market. You need to cut the skin in two to three places so that the pork chops don’t curl up when the skin contracts as it is grilled. There’s no marinating involved – just take the pork rib chops out of the refrigerator one hour before grilling, coat with sesame 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.

Enjoy!

Panang Curry Paste Cauliflower Fish Ball Chicken Stir Fry (燉咖哩醬椰菜花魚蛋炒鷄, Dan6 Gaa3 Lei1 Zoeng3 Je4 Coi3 Faa1 Jyu4 Daan6 Caau2 Gai1)

This dish uses Panang curry paste as the basis for the flavoring for this dish in a similar manner as Doubanjiang (spicy broad bean paste). The technique to make these dishes is to first stir fry the Doubanjiang and then add the meat, stir frying the combination together to combine the flavors. The same technique is used to make this curry dish, using a (small) can of Panang curry paste. This technique actually works since when making a dish using curry paste, the curry paste is first stir fried to bring out the flavors before adding the next ingredients. In addition to the chicken used in this dish, I used prepared fish balls that were available at my local Asian market, which is a classic combination of flavors.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Two Pepper Chicken Wings (燒烤豆科灌木兩椒鷄翼, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Loeng5 Ziu1 Gai1 Jik6)

This is a very simple grilled chicken wing dish that can be made after marinating chicken wings overnight. After marinating, all you need to do is to grind whole black and white peppercorns (or use already ground) and coat the wings (adding salt to the mixture is optional). Mesquite wood is added to the grill, but you can use oak, hickory, pecan, or whatever your favorite wood is, to further enhances the flavor. You can choose to remove the wing tips before marinating, but I leave them on since I don’t mind eating them. The wings are smoked covered over indirect heat.

Enjoy!

Yellow Curry Paste Cauliflower Chicken Drumettes (黃咖哩醬椰菜花鷄翼, Wong4 Gaa3 Lei1 Zoeng3 Je4 Coi3 Faa1 Gai1 Jik6)

This is a simple to make cauliflower curry dish. Aside from cutting up the vegetables, there’s no other work involved in preparing this dish – there’s no need to marinate or brown the chicken drumettes before cooking (just buy already cut chicken wing pieces). The curry paste and coconut milk come from a can, so all you must do is open the cans. It doesn’t get any simpler than this.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Cantonese Sausage Hong Kong Noodles (臘腸鷄炒雲吞麵, Laap6 Coeng4 Gai1 Caau2 Wan4 Tan1 Min6)

I always have a package of Cantonese pork sausage in my refrigerator. The sausages have a characteristic deep red color and provide a tasty addition to any dish, in this case, Hong Kong noodles. The sausages are dried, so they are dense and hard, and not at all like fresh sausages. The sausages can be purchased at your local Asian market. Cantonese pork sausage can be made with many ingredients, but this dish uses the pork only version. The sausages are also available lean, with less fat content. Oil may be need to be added to the wok if the lean version is used, otherwise the sausages produce their own oil when cooked.

Enjoy!

Steamed Pork with Dried Shrimp, Preserved Mustard Stem, and Salted Duck Egg (蝦米碎米芽菜鹹鴨蛋蒸豬肉, Haa1 Mai5 Seoi3 Mai5 Ngaa4 Coi3 Haam4 Aap3 Daan6 Zing1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Steamed pork is a dish I grew up eating and all Chinese Moms have a recipe for this dish. Steamed pork is usually never the only ingredient used in making this dish and there are innumerable recipe variations for additions. Here are some other recipes: Steamed Pork with Salted Fish (鹹魚蒸豬肉, Haam⁴ Jyu⁴ Zing¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶) , Steamed Pork with Salted Duck Egg (鹹鴨蛋蒸豬肉, Haam⁴ Aap³ Daan⁶ Zing¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶).

This version uses an uncooked salted duck egg and dried shrimp, whose saltiness goes well with the savory pork flavor. You can buy uncooked salted duck eggs and dried shrimp at your local Asian market, but the uncooked duck eggs can be hard to find and not always in stock. I buy my uncooked salted duck eggs at my local Farmer’s Market. The third ingredient is called suimiyacai, which is preserved mustard stems, and can be bought at your local Asian market in small packets. The preserved mustard stems add a mild sweetness to the dish and can be omitted if you cannot obtain them, or you can substitute another preserved vegetable.

On the surface, this seems like an easy dish to make. If this dish is prepared correctly, the steamed ground pork has a tender mouth feel when eaten. I have found, through many attempts, that if you add 1 Tbs. (15 ml.) corn starch per ½ lb. (250 g.) ground pork, together with the other marinade ingredients, you get the desired result.

Enjoy!

Abalone Asparagus Chicken (鮑魚蘆筍雞, Baau1 Jyu4 Lou4 Seon2 Gai1)

Fresh abalone and asparagus adds a luxurious touch to this dish. If you’re able to find sliced abalone at your local Asian market, you should try making this dish. Even where I live, with many Asian markets in the vicinity, sliced abalone is only available occasionally at just one market. Pairing the abalone with chicken is classic combination of seafood and meat used in Chinese dishes. Fresh bamboo shoots (used canned if fresh is not available) is the final ingredient that’s added to this tasty dish.

Enjoy!

Bean Sauce Asparagus Chicken (豆瓣醬雞蘆筍雞, Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Lou4 Seon2 Gai1)

Whenever I use asparagus in a dish, I usually use the thick stemmed version. However, for this recipe, I chose to use thin stemmed asparagus to match the thickness of the shredded tofu and sliced Shiitake mushrooms. The dish would have tasted the same if the thick stemmed asparagus was used, but using the thin stemmed makes the dish more visually appealing.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Ground Chili Garlic Oil Turkey Tails (燒烤豆科灌木蒜油辣椒醬火雞尾, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Syun3 Jau4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3 Fo2 Gai1 Mei5)

Turkey tails are not the usual part of the turkey most people buy at their local supermarket, even though they are relatively inexpensive and available. If you’ve ever been to a Chinese delicatessen in the USA, turkey tails are a staple, often poached in soy sauce. So, they aren’t as uncommon as you think (you probably just never knew to look for them!). This is my grilled version of a Chinese delicatessen classic using ground chili garlic oil (which is made in Thailand!). You can, of course, use any other sauce if you can’t get ground chili garlic oil at your local Asian market.

Enjoy!

Steamed Yellow Tail (蒸鰤, Zing1 Si1)

Yellow tail is visually appealing fish, as well as being very tasty. The fish is a good choice for steaming and is readily available at my local Asian market. I usually get an already freshly prepared fish, but a whole live fish (with the head) is also a good option.

The fish is always finished with heated oil and a soy sauce mixture. You can use a small pot or a wok to heat the mixtures, but I’ve been using the microwave to heat the soy sauce mixture. As always, you need to be very careful when you pour heated oil and liquids on the fish, as the hot oil and liquid will pop and splatter off the fish.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Korean-Style Spicy Pork (돼지불고기, Daeji Bulgogi) Stir Fry

This recipe uses the pork prepared using the Mesquite Grilled Korean-Style Spicy Pork (돼지불고기, Daeji Bulgogi) recipe. I used the pork much like I would Cantonese barbeque pork in a stir fry dish. The pork is, of course, spicier than Cantonese barbeque pork, and the dish itself is even spicier with the addition of whole Japanese chilies.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Lamb Rib Eye Chops (燒烤豆科灌木肉眼羊扒, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Juk6 Ngaan5 Joeng4 Paa4)

This is probably the most basic method to wood smoke (mesquite, in this case) lamb rib eye chops on a grill. There’s no marinating involved – just take the lamb 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 lamb and wood smoke (in this case mesquite). This method was also used for pork in this recipe: Grilled Hickory Smoked Rib Eye Pork Chops.

Enjoy!

Braised Abalone with Fish Maw and Shiitake Mushrooms (燴冬菇魚肚鮑魚, Wui6 Dung1 Gu1 Jyu4 Tou5 Baau1 Jyu4)

This recipe is loaded with lots of seafood and is a special occasion type dish. I was able to get sliced abalone at my local Asian market. Usually fresh (or thawed) abalone is very hard to find where I live (it’s usually only available frozen or dried), so I took the opportunity to use it in this dish. Since abalone becomes tough if cooked too long, the abalone is added at the last minute just to warm it in order to keep it tender.

Dried scallops are another luxurious (i.e. expensive) ingredient that is necessary to the flavor to this dish. In general, the larger the dried scallop, the more expensive the scallop. You only need to use one or two large dried scallops to flavor this dish. The dried scallop is first rehydrated and then broken into pieces. You need a large dried scallop to get the large rehydrated pieces.

Fish maw is the bladder of the fish that controls buoyancy. Fish maw is one of those weird and wonderful special banquet ingredients (at least in my experience) that is served at auspicious events such as weddings and at Lunar New Year. Fish maw can be purchased at your local Asian market or herb specialty store. If you’re lucky enough to have an Asian herb store near you, it’s worth going in to see all the dried herbs and creatures that are sold at these stores. The herb stores also have the most variety of fish maw to buy and with the prices to match!

There are two types of fish maw: dried and fried. For this dish, the fried version is used. If you purchase the dried version, like I did, there’s an extra step to deep fry the fish maw yourself. I actually shallow fried the fish maw, ladling hot oil over the fish maw (be careful when using this method). You can save a step and time by buying the fried version, however it is easier to store the dried version since it takes up less space than the fried. The best description of fried fish maw is that it looks like chicharrón, which is fried pork skin. The fried fish maw must soak in cold water for at least an hour to soften it to a spongy texture and then cut into bite sized pieces. After soaking, fish maw has no inherent flavor (so it won’t smell fishy at all) and acquires the flavors of the ingredients it is cooked with. So using good ingredients is important to the flavor of this dish.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Asparagus Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油蘆筍炒涮涮锅豬肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Lou4 Seon2 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. This dish is slightly spicy and is great to make when asparagus is in season.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Garam Masala Pork Shoulder (燒烤豆科灌木胡荽豬肩肉, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Wu4 Seoi1 Zyu1 Gin1 Juk6)

Pork shoulder is the cut of meat chosen for this recipe because of its meat/fat content. Other cuts of pork, such as tenderloin, don’t produce the juiciness that pork shoulder produces after grilling. You could easily use pork rib chops or country-style ribs (which is boneless pork shoulder cut to look like ribs) to produce the same results. You can also use bone-in or boneless pork shoulder. Garam Masala is the primary spice and flavor, which is mixed with a soy-based marinade.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Barbeque Sauce Rib Eye Steak (燒烤豆科灌木燒烤醬肉眼牛排, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Siu1 Saau1 Zoeng3 Juk6 Ngaan5 Ngau4 Paai4)

Like the Mesquite Grilled Boneless Beef Chuck Steak (燒烤豆科灌木牛排, Siu¹ Haau¹ Dau⁶ Fo¹ Gun³ Muk⁶ Ngau⁴ Paai⁴) recipe, I’ve totally changed the way I grill beef steaks after reading the method used by America’s Test Kitchen. The recipe was for rib-eye steaks, but it can be used for other cuts of beef and other meats (e.g. pork). Their method produces a charred exterior with a tender medium-rare interior, and uses both the oven and the grill. The basic premise for their method is to preheat the steak in the oven before grilling the steak over a hot fire to produce the desired results. I adapted the method to use the grill only to produce similar results. In my previous grilling recipes, I would place the meat over a hot fire first to char the outside and then move the meat to the cool side of the grill to roast and/or smoke. This produced a charred exterior and medium-rare interior, but the medium-rare interior was sandwiched between a well-done exterior, whereas the America’s Test Kitchen method produced a consistent medium-rare interior without the well-done exterior layers.

So my adaptation is to reverse the previous order of cooking the meat to first pre-heat the meat on the cool side of the grill to smoke it before moving to the hot side to char. This produces similar results to America’s Test Kitchen’s original method even though the fire is reduced in heat when the meat is charred after pre-heating, and you don’t need to use your oven. The new method does take longer to cook the meat, but it’s worth the extra time to get the desired results. The cooking time varies with the thickness of the meat, temperature of the fire, and your previous experience with the barbeque grill, so you’ll have to experiment a little to get the desired results. I think if you try cooking steaks using my adapted method, you’ll also change the way you grill meat.

Enjoy!

Shabu Shabu Beef Chow Mein (涮涮锅牛肉炒麵, Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Ngau4 Juk6 Caau2 Min6)

Shabu Shabu beef can be purchased at your local Japanese or Asian market, and is thinly sliced beef used as an ingredient to the Japanese dish by the same name. The price of Shabu Shabu beef will vary widely depending upon the cut of the meat, so pick a type that’s affordable to you. There’s no need to use any baking soda to tenderize the beef since thinly cut meat is already tender. Shabu Shabu beef is an easy to use ingredient for noodle dishes, since the beef’s already cut into thin pieces.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Zucchini Squid (豆豉意大利青魷魚, Dau6 Si6 Ji3 Daai6 Lei6 Ceng1 Gwaa1 Jau4 Jyu4)

My previous squid (only) recipes: Chili Lemongrass Squid (辣椒檸檬葉魷魚, Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Ning⁴ Mung⁴ Jip⁶ Jau⁴ Jyu⁴) and Squid In Salty Shrimp Sauce (蝦醬鮮魷, Haa¹ Zoeng³ Sin¹ Jau⁴), used frozen squid. Frozen squid is convenient to use since they’re already cleaned and ready for cooking after being thawed, and is always available (from the freezer). My local farmer’s market had fresh squid (caught that morning in California’s Monterey Bay according to the vendor), so I decided on the spot to buy and make a dish with them. Fresh squid is available at my local Asian markets, but many times they’ve been frozen (whole) and then thawed for sale. So, this squid was truly fresh!

Cleaning fresh squid is simple. Grasp the squid’s head and pull the tentacles and head, together with the quill and innards out in one motion. The quill is the only hard part of the squid and is inedible. Cut the tentacles away from the head, just below the eyes, and discard the head and innards. The tentacles are my favorite part of the squid to eat (I guess because of their texture). The squid’s body is in the shape of a cylinder, so open the cylinder with a long cut the length of the cylinder. Remove the outer skin from the squid’s body, score the outer part of the body with diagonal cuts, and then cut into edible pieces.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 lb.	1 kg.	Fresh squid (魷魚, jau4 jyu4), cleaned, scored, and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Zucchini (意大利青瓜, ji3 daai6 lei6 ceng1 gwaa1), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) diagonal pieces
8	8	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated and cut into quarters
8 oz.	227 g.	One package fried tofu (油炸豆腐, jau4 zaa3 dau6 fu6)
8 oz.	227 g.	One 15 oz. (425 gm.) can baby corn (玉米尖, juk6 mai5 zim1), drained and cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Salted black beans (豆豉, dau6 si6)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions

Squid Tentacles and Head, Quill, and Body

Cleaned Squid Tentacles and Body

1. Cleaning fresh squid is simple. Grasp the squid’s head and pull the tentacles and head, together with the quill and innards out in one motion. The quill is the only hard part of the squid and is inedible. Cut the tentacles away from the head, just below the eyes, and discard the head and innards. The squid’s body is in the shape of a cylinder, so open the cylinder with a long cut the length of the cylinder. Remove the outer skin from the squid’s body, score the outer part of the body with diagonal cuts, and then cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
2. Pour boiling water over the small dried whole Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Cut the Shiitake mushrooms into quarter pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process. If you need to rehydrate the Shiitake mushrooms quickly, use the method described here: Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇, Dung¹ Gu¹).
3. Wash and cut the zucchini into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) quarter-cut pieces. Cut the zucchini on the diagonal and turn the zucchini a quarter-turn. Repeat the diagonal cut and quarter-turn steps until the entire zucchini is cut into pieces.
4. Open the fried tofu package and discard any liquid.
5. Open the can of baby corn and discard any liquid. Cut the baby corn into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
6. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
7. Wash and lightly crush the salted black beans in a small bowl. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press, put into the bowl with the salted black beans, and mix the ingredients together.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil. Add the squid to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the squid in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the squid to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to the bowl with the squid.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu. Stir fry the fried tofu and then transfer to the bowl with the squid.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the baby corn. Stir fry the baby corn and then transfer to the bowl with the squid.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the salted black bean mixture. Quickly stir fry the salted black bean mixture until it becomes fragrant. Add the zucchini to the wok and stir fry until browned. Add the contents of the bowl with the squid back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
6. Add the green onions and the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some of the mushroom rehydration liquid to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish, and serve with Clay Pot Rice (煲仔飯, Bou¹ Zai² Faan⁶) or steamed rice.

Black Bean Sauce Green String Bean Chicken with Fish Maw (豆豉青豆角魚肚鷄, Dau6 Si6 Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Jyu4 Tou5 Gai1)

Black bean sauce is a common way to flavor chicken dishes. A standard dish found in many Chinese-American restaurants is black bean sauce green string bean chicken, which are commonly available ingredients. My version of this dish can be found here: Black Bean Garlic Sauce String Bean Chicken (蒜蓉豆豉青豆角雞, Syun³ Jung⁴ Dau⁶ Si⁶ Ceng¹ Dau⁶ Gok³ Gai¹). This version of the classic dish adds fish maw to make a common dish uncommon.

Fish maw is the bladder of the fish that controls buoyancy. Fish maw is one of those weird and wonderful special banquet ingredients (at least in my experience) that is served at auspicious events such as weddings and at Lunar New Year. Fish maw can be purchased at your local Asian market or herb specialty store. If you’re lucky enough to have an Asian herb store near you, it’s worth going in to see all the dried herbs and creatures that are sold at these stores. The herb stores also have the most variety of fish maw to buy and with the prices to match!

There are two types of fish maw: dried and fried. For this dish, the fried version is used. If you purchase the dried version, like I did, there’s an extra step to deep fry the fish maw yourself. I actually shallow fried the fish maw, ladling hot oil over the fish maw (be careful when using this method). You can save a step and time by buying the fried version, but this will take more storage space than the dried version for any fish maw that you don’t use. The best description of fried fish maw is that it looks like chicharrón, which is fried pork skin. The fried fish maw should soak in cold water for at least an hour to soften it to a spongy texture and then cut into bite sized pieces. After soaking, fish maw has no inherent flavor (so it won’t smell fishy at all) and acquires the flavors of the ingredients it is cooked with.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Black Vinegar Beef Ox Tail Stew (燉黑米醋牛尾, Dan6 Hak1 Mai5 Cou3 Ngau4 Mei5)

Black vinegar not only adds flavor to this dish, but also a rich dark color. The dish is not sour with a dominant vinegar flavor as you might think, in fact the black vinegar adds depth to the sauce’s flavor. While I’m not convinced, the Chinese think that the vinegar cuts down on the richness of the beef ox tail stew. Chee Hou sauce is an important ingredient to making this dish. Chee Hou sauce is a prepared sauce and is similar in taste to hoisin sauce (which can be substituted if you can’t find it at your local Asian market) and has a slightly spicier taste to it. Beef oxtails are readily available at most markets. Removing the outer fat layer from the oxtails is an important step to producing an almost fat free sauce. Use a sharp knife to remove the outer fat layer before cooking.

Enjoy!

Basil Chili Paste with Fermented Soy Bean Shabu Shabu Pork Loin Stir Fry (紫蘇湖南豆豉辣椒炒涮涮锅豬肉, Zi2 Sou1 Wu4 Naam4 Dau6 Si6 Laat6 Ziu1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. This dish is slightly spicy and is additionally flavored using fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Madras Curry Pasilla Pepper Chicken (马德拉斯咖喱粉豌豆胡椒鷄, Maa5 Dak1 Laai1 Si1 Gaa3 Lei1 Fan2 Wun2 Dau6 Wu4 Ziu1 Gai1)

Passila peppers are a deep green color and, in my opinion, look better in a dish than green bell peppers. Passila peppers are also have some heat to them, so they add some spiciness to the dish together with the Madras curry powder. Passila peppers can be found at your local Mexican market and Poblano chilies can be substituted if Passila chilies are not available. If neither of those peppers are available to you, then use green bell peppers and dried red chilies (e.g. Japanese chilies) to give some spiciness to the dish.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Rosemary Garam Masala Red Wine Chicken (燒烤豆科灌木迷迭香胡荽紅酒鷄, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Mai4 Dit6 Hoeng1 Wu4 Seoi1 Hung4 Zau2 Gai1)

I used a basic soy sauce marinade with red wine to grill the whole chicken, together with fresh rosemary and Garam Masala powder. I put the chicken on a “beer can” stand to roast it upright in the barbeque. While I didn’t use a beer can to keep the chicken upright, I have an apparatus that has two rods attached to a pan that keeps the chicken standing while being grilled. The standing chicken is placed in the charcoal grate, without using the grill grate. The barbeque cover can’t be used if the standing chicken is placed on the grill grate in a 22.5 in. (57 cm.) barbeque grill, so that’s why the standing chicken is placed on the charcoal grate with the coals arranged around it in a circle.

You can look at the Poached Chicken (白斬雞, Baak⁶ Zaam² Gai¹) with Ginger-Scallion Oil (薑蔥油, Goeng¹ Cung¹ Jau⁴) recipe for instructions on cutting and arranging a chicken on a platter.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Korean-Style Spicy Pork (돼지불고기, Daeji Bulgogi)

This is definitely not an original Korean dish, but the Korean hot pepper paste (고추장, Gochujang) and hot pepper powder (고추가루, Gochugaru) are used to marinade the pork shoulder steaks as in the traditional recipe. The traditional recipe uses pork belly and is cooked on an indoor grill, with the cooked pork being wrapped in lettuce leaves (and other added ingredients) before being consumed whole. This recipe is an Americanized outdoor barbeque version of this dish using pork shoulder steaks. The amount of hot pepper powder can be varied depending upon your tolerance for spiciness. The hot pepper paste actually provides more sweetness to the dish than spice, so there’s no need to use hoisin sauce (my usual sauce used in marinades). This is a really easy and tasty way to grill pork (or any other meat) and is very similar to a previously published recipe: Grilled Gochujang (Hot Pepper Paste) Pork Ribeye Steaks.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spicy Basil Beef Ox Tail and Tendon Stew (燉辣紫蘇牛筋牛尾, Dan6 Laat6 Zi2 Sou1 Ngau4 Gan1 Ngau4 Mei5)

While this recipe would seem to be more appropriate during the winter, it is still tasty when cooked during the spring, especially when you use a slow cooker (i.e. crockpot) to make the dish. Fresh lotus root is preferable, but pre-cut frozen lotus root makes a good substitute when fresh is not available (and then even the frozen lotus root slices can sometimes be hard to find). If lotus root cannot be found, daikon makes a good substitute.

Beef oxtail and beef tendon go together to make a classic Chinese stew. Chee Hou sauce is an important ingredient to making this dish. Chee Hou sauce is a prepared sauce and is similar in taste to hoisin sauce (which can be substituted if you can’t find it at your local Asian market) and has a slightly spicier taste to it. The real spiciness for this dish comes from the addition of Japanese chilies. Japanese chilies have some heat to them, but are more flavorful spicy than hot and can be found at your local Mexican market. The Japanese chilies are stir fried before being added to the slow cooker.

Beef oxtails are readily available at most markets. Removing the outer fat layer from the oxtails is an important step to producing an almost fat free sauce. Use a sharp knife to remove the outer fat layer before cooking. Beef tendon is another part of the cow available at Asian markets either whole or already cut into pieces. It’s a texture ingredient that produces a great mouth feel when eaten. Uncooked, it’s tough and hard to cut, cooked long and slow, and it becomes soft. There’s really no substitute for this ingredient, so if you can’t find it, it can be omitted, but the stew won’t be the same.

Enjoy!

Lemon Black Pepper Sauce Fuzzy Melon Shabu Shabu Pork Loin Stir Fry (檸黑椒汁節瓜炒涮涮锅豬肉, Ning4 Hak1 Ziu1 Zap1 Zit3 Gwaa1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. Juice from one lemon was added to a black pepper sauce to make this dish.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Zucchini Dried Shrimp Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (豆豉意大利青瓜蝦米炒涮涮锅豬肉, Dau6 Si6 Ji3 Daai6 Lei6 Ceng1 Gwaa1 Haa1 Mai5 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. A simple black bean sauce made from salted black beans was used, but if you’re short on time, a bottled black bean sauce can be used. Dried shrimp is also used and you can choose to either soak or not soak the shrimp before cooking. Not soaking the dried shrimp beforehand makes the dish saltier, since soaking will wash away most of the salt. The texture also differs in the finished dish: the soaked shrimp will be larger and less chewy than the unsoaked due to water absorption.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Red Curry and Wine Ox Tail Stew (燉紅酒紅咖哩醬牛尾, Dan6 Hung4 Zau2 Hung4 Gaa3 Lei1 Zoeng3 Ngau4 Mei5)

This recipe, using beef oxtails, is very similar to the previous posted recipe: Slow Cooker Red Wine Spicy Bean Paste Ox Tail Stew (燉紅酒春辣醬牛尾, Dan⁶ Hung⁴ Zau² Ceon¹ Laat⁶ Zoeng³ Ngau⁴ Mei⁵). In this case, a Thai red curry is the basis for the sauce rather than spicy bean paste. Red wine is also substituted for coconut milk, which usually used in a Thai curry. So you can think of this as a curry based red wine ox tail stew. The red curry is stir fried with the beef oxtails before placing into the slow cooker. Stir frying the meat in the curry is a standard method to bring out the flavor of the curry in the dish. I used to use a fat strainer to remove the excess fat from the cooked sauce, but I found that if I remove the outside fat layer from the ox tails before cooking, there’s no need.

Enjoy!