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!

Basil Japanese Curry Red Wine Pork Spareribs (紫蘇日本咖哩紅酒豬排骨, Zi2 Sou1 Jat6 Bun2 Gaa3 Lei1 Hung4 Zau2 Zyu1 Paai4 Gwat1)

One of my favorite ingredients is pork spareribs, and making the pork with a curry, in this case, a Japanese curry, makes for a tasty dish. Japanese curry comes packaged as ready to cook cubes with a varying degree of spiciness (to be honest, there really isn’t any spiciness in Japanese curry). It’s very convenient to use and is added at the end of cooking. The instructions say to use water to cook your ingredients, but any liquid can be substituted and, in this case, red wine was used instead of water. Using a different liquid besides water gives the curry an added flavor and it’s a very easy change to make. The curry instructions suggest that 3 cups (750 ml.) be used when using 4 cubes of the curry (one-half package), but I’ve found that 2 cups (500 ml) produce a thicker sauce that is common for Japanese curry.

Enjoy!

Braised Pork Short Ribs with Bitter Melon (燴苦瓜豬排骨, Wui6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Zyu1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Pork short ribs are the spare rib or baby back rib tips, cut into a single 2-inch (5 cm.) wide piece with the intercostal meat (the meat between the ribs) and meat above the bones still attached. I found this cheftalk.com page with the information on what pork short ribs are. There’s a picture of the pork short ribs in the recipe section of this post. I’ve only found this cut of pork at two Asian markets in my area (and not always consistently available), so it’s relatively hard to find. Pork spareribs or baby back ribs cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces can be substituted if you can’t find pork short ribs and there will not be any meat “above” the bone.

Other than the use of pork short ribs, the ingredients are readily available. Fresh bamboo shoots are available at my local Asian market and I use them when I can, but canned can be substituted. The dish is easy to cook since all you have to do is put all the ingredients (minus the bitter melon and green onions) into a Dutch oven to cook with Lee Kum Kee’s brand Black Bean Garlic Sauce. The bitter melon and green onion are added at the end of cooking to keep them from getting overcooked. All you then have to do is eat the finished dish over rice.

Enjoy!

Braised Black Bean Chili Sauce Chicken Wings (紅燒黑豆辣椒鷄翼, Hung4 Siu1 Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Gai1 Jik6)

This dish actually doesn’t take too long to cook once all the preparation work is done. Whole chicken wings, parts separated, or chicken wing drumettes and/or midjoint pieces can be used. The chicken wings are marinated overnight before cooking, with the marinade becoming the basis for the sauce. A wok is used to brown the chicken wings and then the dish is cooked in a Dutch oven. If time is short (or you forget), the chicken wings don’t have to be marinated beforehand; just stir fry to brown and then add the browned wings to the Dutch oven together with the marinade ingredients. The dish will taste slightly different, but is an acceptable substitute to use when time is short. The carrots are cut thin to cook in the short time the Dutch oven is over heat. If the dish is prepared correctly, the beans will still be slightly crunchy.

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!

Spicy Fermented Bean Curd Chicken Wings (辣椒腐乳鷄翼, Laat6 Ziu1 Fu6 Jyu5 Gai1 Jik6)

This recipe was updated on 27 Aug 2015. Some instructions were changed.

This is a one pot (or Dutch oven) meal. The chicken wings are first browned, and then the bean curd knots and fermented bean curd with chili are added before cooking. Finally the vegetables are added at the very end of cooking to complete the dish.  The one ingredient that is probably most unfamiliar is the bean curd knots. Bean curd knots are available fresh or dried, in this case I used dried, and are bean curd skin tied into a knot. Bean curd knots are available at your local Asian market in the dried foods or if you want fresh, in the refrigerated section. Bean curd sticks can be substituted if bean curd knots are not available.

Finally, this dish is not spicy even though that’s in the title. The fermented bean curd I used has small bits of chili in it, but it’s not all that hot. However, if you are adverse to any chili spiciness, regular fermented bean curd (without chili) can be substituted.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Bitter Melon with Pork and Chinese Sausage (臘腸豬肉苦瓜, Laap6 Coeng4 Zyu1 Juk6 Fu2 Gwaa1)

This classic Cantonese dish is made with pork and with the addition of Chinese sausage. I had previously posted a similar recipe using turkey: Stuffed Bitter Melon with Turkey and Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇釀苦瓜, Dung¹ Gu¹ Joeng⁶ Fu² Gwaa¹). Bitter melon lends itself to being stuffed, since the inedible pith and seeds in the middle leave so much space after being removed. I added diced Chinese sausage to the pork for taste, and sliced Chinese sausage to the tops of the stuffed bitter melon cylinders for a visual element to the dish. The further addition of whole Shiitake mushrooms makes the dish even tastier.

Enjoy!

Coconut Curry Cauliflower Shrimp (咖哩椰子椰菜花蝦, Gaa3 Lei1 Je4 Zi2 Je4 Coi3 Faa1 Haa1)

This dish is made backwards. You usually start by cooking the meat or seafood, then the vegetables, and finally the sauce when making a dish. In this case, the process is reversed; the sauce is made first, followed by the vegetables, and then the seafood. The dish also has some added heat to it with the addition of capsicum in red oil or red chili peppers if the former is not available. The amount to use depends upon how spicy you like your dishes, so the quantity to use is a personal preference.

Enjoy!

Garam Masala Chicken Wings with Sugar Snap Peas (胡荽蜜豆鷄翼, Wu4 Seoi1 Mat6 Dau6 Gai1 Jik6)

This recipe was updated on 27 Aug 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

This quick cooking recipe uses garam masala, instead of curry powder for flavor. Midjoint chicken wings are used, but you can use drumettes or whole chicken wings. The chicken wings are marinated in a bowl overnight and then the entire contents are put into a Dutch oven (or large pot). Add the Shiitake mushrooms and carrots, together with enough liquid to just cover the ingredients, cover, and place it over a burner on the stove. You don’t need to brown any of the ingredients! Towards the end of cooking, you add the sugar snap peas, thicken the sauce, and dinner is ready in less than an hour.

Enjoy!

Pork Ribs and Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇海參排骨, Dung1 Gu1 Hoi2 Sam1 Paai4 Gwat1)

This recipe was updated on 22 Apr 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

 

So what do you do if you have some defrosted sea cucumber left over after making the Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇海參, Dung¹ Gu¹ Hoi² Sam¹) recipe? You look on the internet for some ideas, where I found recipes using pork spareribs and sea cucumber. So I adapted the Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms recipe to add pork spareribs. The combination actually tastes pretty good. Try it, you’ll like it.

 

Enjoy!

Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇海參, Dung1 Gu1 Hoi2 Sam1)

This recipe was updated on 07 Jun 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changes, and metric measurements added.

Sea cucumber is an ingredient usually reserved for special occasions. I remember eating this dish at every birthday dinner for my maternal Grandparents. Sea cucumber also makes appearances at Lunar New Year’s dinners, so this dish came to mind and seemed appropriate as the first recipe for the Year of the Snake.

The ingredient is not only expensive, but in its dried form takes some time to prepare and after rehydration you have to clean out the intestines before cooking. I used to be able to buy sea cucumber already rehydrated and cleaned at my local Asian market, but no more. It is now available frozen, so it needs to be thawed first before cleaning. Sea cucumber can be black or white in color, with the white version more highly prized and more expensive than the black. Another name for sea cucumber is sea slug, which doesn’t sound very appetizing, and it has a firm, jello-like texture (my brother-in-law calls it, “fish jello”). No matter what you call this ingredient, it really is quite tasteless and acquires the flavor of the other ingredients it’s cooked with and the sauce.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Bitter Melon with Turkey and Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇釀苦瓜, Dung1 Gu1 Joeng6 Fu2 Gwaa1)

 

This recipe was updated on 07 Jul 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added. A similar recipe was also added: Stuffed Bitter Melon with Pork and Chinese Sausage (臘腸豬肉苦瓜, Laap⁶ Coeng⁴ Zyu¹ Juk⁶ Fu² Gwaa¹).

This classic Cantonese dish is usually made with pork and without the addition of the whole Shiitake mushrooms. I had ground turkey, so I used that to stuff the bitter melon cylinders. Bitter melon lends itself to being stuffed, since the inedible pith and seeds in the middle leave so much space after being removed. I added dried shrimp to the tops of the stuffed bitter melon cylinders to add another flavor to the dish. The further addition of whole Shiitake mushrooms makes the dish even tastier.

Enjoy!

Zhenjiang-Style Pork Baby Back Ribs (镇江排骨, Zan3 Gong1 Paai4 Gwat1)

 

This recipe was updated on 02 Jul 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

I made this dish a couple of times before being satisfied with the results since this is not the traditional recipe. First of all, the dish is usually made with 1- to 2-inch rib pieces rather than using the whole rib, and secondly, the ribs are usually deep fried before being braised in the sauce. Rather than deep frying the ribs, I browned them in the wok. I found that if you brown the ribs for too long, the meat becomes hard and tough, so the ribs need to be quickly browned in small batches (i.e. don’t crowd the ribs into the wok). I also made the dish without browning the ribs first and the dish came out tasty, but the ribs didn’t have that deep dark color the browned version has. So it’s up to you to brown or not-brown the ribs.

When I first made the dish, I used a lot more soy sauce. The reduced sauce was too salty, so there is a small amount of soy sauce used in the recipe. Also at first, I thought that I used too much sugar, but it turns out to be the right amount because you don’t get the right syrupy consistency if there’s less sugar and the sugar balances the vinegar.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs (甜酸排骨, Tim4 Syun1 Paai4 Gwat1)

This recipe was updated on 13 Aug 2015. Some instructions were changed.

This dish can be found in all Cantonese style restaurants in the USA. It’s probably one of the more popular dishes that is ordered by just about everyone, both locals and tourists, and is almost stereotypical when a dish is associated with Chinese food in the USA. However, the recipe for this dish is not like that found in restaurants. In the typical sweet and sour restaurant dish, the meat and sauce is bright red, being heavily dyed using food coloring. You will notice that there’s not a speck of red in the sauce or pork spareribs in this dish. The lack of the red coloring doesn’t affect the taste in any way. This dish is also healthier than your typical restaurant sweet and sour dish since the spareribs are braised and not deep fried - if one can call a pork sparerib dish healthy!

Enjoy!

Chicken Drumettes with Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇雞翼, Dung1 Gu1 Gai1 Jik6)

 

This recipe was updated on 01 Oct 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Chicken and Shiitake mushrooms make a great combination. This quick cooking dish uses chicken drumettes (the drumstick from the wing) together with whole Shiitake mushrooms and sugar snap peas. You can just as easily use chicken wings (cut into pieces) and snow peas to make this dish. The recipe actually uses a lot of whole Shiitake mushrooms, but you can reduce the quantity of mushrooms by cutting the mushrooms in half or in quarters. It’s weird, but cutting the mushroom into pieces gives the appearance of more mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Braised Pork Spareribs with Salted Black Beans (豆豉燴排骨, Dau6 Si6 Wui6 Paai4 Gwat1)

 

This recipe was updated on 07 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

This is another favorite dish of mine. Pork spareribs, black beans, Shiitake mushrooms, and long beans make a great combination when combined into one dish. If cooked correctly, the pork spareribs are tender, the long beans are crunchy, and the Shiitake mushrooms flavorful.

Enjoy!

Corned Beef

In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, here’s a method to prepare corned beef. Rather than just boiling the corned beef on the stove with water, add a bottle (or more) of beer and braise it all in the oven. In this case I used a corned beef round rather than brisket, but either works.

Since this is the day before St. Patrick’s Day, it also happens to be the birthday of one of my friends from high school. He asked that I cook something today and call it Tyrone! Well, Tyrone, here’s your dish.

Enjoy!

Red Curry Seafood

Well it’s been a while since I last posted a recipe. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking (in fact I have a large backlog or recipes that I have to post), but I’ve been busy with hosting the family for the Holidays, planning for travel in the USA and Canada, and then taking the trip with my girlfriend from Korea. So posting recipes took a backseat to other more important tasks.

I choose this recipe to start this year’s postings because I prepared this dish for Valentine’s Day. It’s really a very simple recipe and it doesn’t take long to prepare. My usual habit for posting recipes is to prepare a dish and then take pictures, recounting and recording the recipe at a later date. In the meantime, while taking pictures, the dish gets cold. In this case, it didn’t seem very practical or particularly romantic to tell my girlfriend to wait and not eat until I took pictures while the dish gets cold. So we ate and I took the pictures of the leftovers the next day. Luckily we didn’t devour everything or there wouldn’t be anything left to take a picture of.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Cauliflower Yellow Curry

This is a very simple dish to make. The yellow curry is available as an already prepared paste (I used Mae Ploy brand). The amount of curry paste you use depends upon the level of spiciness that you desire – use more for more spicy and less for less spicy. You add coconut milk to the chicken, vegetables, and curry to complete the dish. The trick is to incorporate the cauliflower and potatoes into the dish towards the end of the cooking time. If you put them in at the beginning, you’ll get mushy cauliflower and potatoes.

Enjoy!

Curry Tomato Beef Tripe (咖哩番茄牛柏葉, Gaa3 Lei1 Faan1 Ke4 Ngau4 Paak3 Jip6)

 

This recipe was updated on 25 Sep 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

For those of you unfamiliar with beef tripe, it’s cow stomach. Since a cow has multiple stomachs, there are various kinds of beef tripe, this one being the honeycomb. The tripe needs some preparation time, so you’ll need a minimum of 2 hours for prep. Baking soda serves to tenderize and clean the tripe – just be sure to wash it out before cooking. The tripe is boiled for 15-20 minutes and then cooled before cutting into strips. Since the tripe shrinks after being boiled, you don’t want to cut the strips beforehand. I made that mistake once and ended up with miniscule pieces of tripe. A tomato curry is one way to make a tripe dish. My other favorite is Black Bean Sauce Beef Tripe (豆豉牛柏葉, Dau⁶ Si⁶ Ngau⁴ Paak³ Jip⁶).

Enjoy!