Shrimp and Salted Duck Egg Fried Rice (鹹鴨蛋蝦炒飯, Haam4 Aap3 Daan6 Haa1 Caau2 Faan6)

This recipe was updated on 12 Apr 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

 

So this isn’t a typical fried rice dish for me since the ingredients are not leftovers, except for the cooked rice. 51/60 shrimp is used in this dish, which means that there are 51 to 60 shrimp per pound (500 g.). The reason being that you want to use small shrimp when making fried rice to make it easier to eat. A cooked salted duck egg is diced and added to the dish for added flavor. Cooked duck eggs can be purchased at your local Asian market. If you can get uncooked salted duck eggs (which are now hard to find in my area), you can just scramble it with the other (chicken) eggs. The amount of fried rice will easily feed four people.

 

Enjoy!

Garlic Pork Fried Rice (蒜豬肉炒飯, Syun3 Zyu1 Juk6 Caau2 Faan6)

This recipe was updated on 01 May 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Fried rice means leftovers and a tasty quick cooking dish. The rice from last night’s dinner has been in the refrigerator overnight and the pork from the Grilled Teriyaki Ribeye Pork Chops, Grilled Curry Pork Chops (燒烤咖哩豬排, Siu¹ Haau¹ Gaa³ Lei¹ Zyu¹ Paai⁴), or Asian-Brined Smoked Pork Chops is cut up into bite sized pieces. If you’re a garlic lover, you can always add more sliced garlic to the dish to satisfy your tastes. Finish the dish with oyster sauce and sesame oil.

Enjoy!

Steamed Pork with Salted Duck Egg (鹹鴨蛋蒸豬肉, 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. There is another recipe for Steamed Pork with Salted Fish (鹹魚蒸豬肉, Haam⁴ Jyu⁴ Zing¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶) .

This version uses cooked salted duck egg, whose saltiness goes well with the savory pork flavor. You can buy cooked salted duck eggs at your local Asian market. If you can get uncooked salted duck eggs, which are getting hard to find in my area, you can crack the egg over the top of the ground pork. Don’t confuse salted duck eggs with preserved duck eggs (皮蛋, pei⁴ daan⁶,), also known as thousand year eggs, which are black/green in color and definitely an acquired taste!

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. Previously attempts that didn’t work used ground pork with more and less fat content, ground pork with small and large grind, and other binders (tapioca and rice starch).

Enjoy!

Bacon, Egg, and Peanut Butter Sandwich

I have to admit that this is a weird concoction, but it is a tasty sandwich. It’s the result of my love for chunky peanut butter, eggs, and bacon. In the USA, peanut butter (I use no-salt chunky peanut butter) is a common ingredient, but for other parts of the world, it’s an acquired taste. The saltiness of the bacon helps to make this dish tasty and I used turkey bacon, which has less fat than the pork version. I used garlic bread (bread baked with garlic cloves) for added flavor, but sourdough or any other dense bread will work. Try making this and you’ll probably be smiling like me while eating this sandwich.

Enjoy!

Curry Scrambled Eggs with Avocado (咖哩粉鱷梨炒蛋, Gaa3 Lei1 Fan2 Ngok6 Lei4 Caau2 Daan6)

 

This recipe was updated on 13 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Madras brand curry powder is a staple in my and, I suspect, in many Chinese-American pantries. Adding curry powder to the dish is a great way to spice up scrambled eggs. I happen to have some avocado, so I also added that to the eggs as a topping to make a great breakfast. To make fluffy scrambled eggs, start by heating a cold pan or wok over medium-low to medium heat, pouring in the liquid egg solution while the pan heats up. As the eggs set, move the cooked eggs toward the center of the pan, allowing the remaining liquid eggs to be cooked in the pan. Repeat this process until no liquid remains. The dish is done when the eggs are fluffy and still look a little wet, but are not totally dry.

Enjoy!

Turkey and Eggs with Bitter Melon (苦瓜火雞炒蛋, Fu2 Gwaa1 Fo2 Gai1 Caau2 Daan6)

This recipe was updated on 25 Sep 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

I had some marinated ground turkey and bitter melon in my refrigerator and was trying to figure out what to do with these ingredients to make dinner. I thought about making a dish with a spicy black bean sauce, which sounded yummy in my mind, but I decided that recipe could wait until a later date. I then thought about the Eggs with Bitter Melon (Scrambled Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu² Gwaa¹ Caau² Daan⁶) and Eggs with Bitter Melon (Pancake Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu² Gwaa¹ Caau² Daan⁶) recipes, and decided that I could modify the scrambled style dish to incorporate ground turkey. So this recipe is the result, and you could just as easily use ground pork or beef to make this dish.

I usually buy and marinate a 2-3 lb. (1-1.5 kg.) package of ground turkey. Only ½ lb. (250 g.) of the turkey is used for this recipe, so the rest can be used to make turkey burgers or to make other dishes: Asparagus Turkey, Spaghetti with Basil Turkey Meatballs, Turkey Basil Cheeseburger with Tzatziki Sauce, and Turkey Basil Mushroom Egg Cheeseburger. The recipe specifies marinade for ½ lb. (250 g.) of ground turkey.

Enjoy!

Scrambled Egg Chili Chicken (辣椒炒蛋鷄, Laat6 Ziu1 Caau2 Daan6 Gai1)

 

This recipe was updated on 19 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

The serrano and jalapeño peppers are growing like mad in my garden. So here’s a dish that consists of peppers and chicken in a Chinkiang vinegar based sauce. I wasn’t sure how hot the peppers were, so I seeded them before cooking, but seeding is totally optional. While I like hot and spicy food, this dish still made me sweat even after seeding the peppers, so you can imagine how hot the dish would have been if the seeds were still present! Chinkiang vinegar is rice based and black in color. The vinegar helps to moderate the heat from the peppers in the dish. Black or cider vinegar can be substituted if you can’t find Chinkiang vinegar at your local Asian supermarket.

Enjoy!

Chicken Chive Chow Mein (韭菜雞炒麵, Gau2 Coi3 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

 

This recipe was updated on 17 Jul 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

One of my favorite dishes to make and eat is stir fried noodles. Chow mein is one of those dishes where you can use whatever’s around to make it (as long as you have noodles!). This dish has chicken and chives, with red and green bell pepper strips for color, and scrambled eggs for added taste.

Enjoy!

New York Steak Fried Rice (牛排炒飯, Ngau4 Paai4 Caau2 Faan6)

 

This recipe was updated on 26 Aug 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Fried rice is synonymous in my mind with leftovers. In this case, the leftovers were rather luxurious – New York steak and mushrooms – from the Grilled Mesquite-Smoked New York Steak and Vegetables recipe. I would normally use green onions in this dish, but I had chives, so I used them, but either will do. The Cantonese translation isn’t quite right, since the translation means beefsteak fried rice, but if someone knows the Cantonese for New York steak, please let me know. This is a great dish to make when you need something quick after surveying the contents of your refrigerator!

 

I use Lee Kum Kee brand Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce because it’s the brand I grew up with and has a good flavor. It’s a little more expensive than other brands, but it’s worth the price in my opinion. I once had a weak moment and bought an inexpensive brand of oyster sauce, and was disappointed in the flavor when compared to the Lee Kum Kee Premium brand. So get the good stuff!

Enjoy!

Salmon and Scrambled Eggs with Chives (Gau2 Coi3 Caau2 Daan6 Saam1 Man4 Jyu4, 韭菜炒蛋三文魚)

Salmon is a quick cooking fish that holds up well to stir frying. The salmon is actually browned on each side rather than stir fried, but the fish is firm enough to hold up to real stir frying. Salmon and eggs make a tasty combination, and adding chives complete this dish.

Enjoy!

Lamb and Asparagus Fried Rice (蘆筍羊肉炒飯, Lou4 Seon2 Joeng4 Juk6 Caau2 Faan6)

 

This recipe was updated on 12 Nov 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Fried rice is the ultimate leftover dish, which is why I normally don’t order fried rice in a Chinese restaurant. You use whatever’s handy to make a quick stir fry dish. The basic ingredients are rice, meat, vegetables, and oyster sauce (soy sauce is used in restaurants). I posted a basic fried rice recipe some time ago: Fried Rice (炒飯, Caau² Faan⁶). While there are many brands of oyster sauce, I use Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Flavored Sauce because it’s the brand I grew up with and it does, in my opinion, have the best flavor. It’s a little more expensive than other brands, but it’s worth the price in my opinion. I once had a weak moment and bought an inexpensive brand of oyster sauce, and was disappointed in the flavor when compared to the Lee Kum Kee Premium brand. So get the good stuff!

Enjoy!

Eggs with Bitter Melon (Pancake Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu2 Gwaa1 Caau2 Daan6)

This recipe was updated on 14 Jun 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

I had this egg pancake dish at a Chinese restaurant recently and it was prepared differently than the dish I’m used to eating, which scrambles the eggs with the bitter melon. The recipe for the scrambled version can be found at Eggs with Bitter Melon (Scrambled Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu² Gwaa¹ Caau² Daan⁶). The egg pancake dish’s preparation is the same as the scrambled version, but it’s harder to make than it looks. It took me two tries to get this dish to come out looking like the restaurant’s dish.

Unlike making the scrambled egg version of this dish, where you complete the cooking by moving the eggs around in the pan, there are two sides that need to be cooked. This means that the egg pancake needs to be flipped over in order to fry the second side, which means that you need to be good at flipping pancakes (made of eggs or otherwise) in a well-seasoned pan to make this dish. I didn’t flip the pancake high enough to clear the pan the first time I made this dish, used too many eggs, and ended up with a funny looking half circle pancake.

The other important piece of information needed to make this dish is to not use too many eggs and to evenly distribute the eggs in the pan. The egg pancake needs to be thin in order to cook quickly and not burn. Flipping the egg pancake is also easier when it’s thin. I used a well-seasoned 9-inch frying pan, so 3 eggs were enough to coat the bitter melon in a thin layer.

Enjoy!

Turkey Basil Mushroom Egg Cheese Burger

Here’s another recipe for turkey burgers using the turkey basil mixture. Mushrooms and a fried egg are added to this burger to make this version of a turkey burger. You can’t lose when you add a fried egg to a burger!

Enjoy!

Lamb Dough Sliced Noodles (小羊炒刀削麵, Siu2 Joeng4 Caau2 Dou1 Soek3 Min6)

This recipe was updated on 03 May 2015. A new recipe, Cabbage Lamb Dough Sliced Noodles (青椰菜羊肉刀削麵, Ceng¹ Je⁴ Coi³ Joeng⁴ Juk⁶ Dou¹ Soek³ Min⁶), was introduced and is now the way I prepare this dish.

 

I got introduced to this dish at the local Chinese Muslim restaurant. For some reason, I omitted the scrambled eggs that are usually part of this dish, but the recipe includes the eggs. You also usually eat this dish with green onion bread or pancakes, which you can find in the freezer section of your local Asian market. Dough sliced noodles are aptly named since the thick noodles are sliced from a block of dough. The noodles have a chewy doughy texture, unlike normal chow mein noodles. The dough sliced noodles can also be found in the freezer section at your local Asian market.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Dough Sliced Chow Mein (蝦炒刀削麵, Haa1 Caau2 Dou1 Soek3 Min6)

This recipe was updated on 01 Aug 2018. Instructions to make the shrimp crunchy, like that found in restaurant dishes, was added.

I first got introduced to this dish at the local Chinese Muslim restaurant. Ordering this dish and green onion bread makes for a great meal. Dough sliced noodles are aptly named since the noodles are sliced from a block of dough. The noodles have a chewy doughy texture, unlike normal chow mein noodles. I always wondered how to get or make these noodles. Now I don’t have to go to a restaurant to get this dish since I found the dough sliced noodles in the freezer section at my local Asian market.

A typical package contains 5 packs of noodles each weighing 200 grams (for a total of 1 kilogram). While the package says that you don’t have to thaw the noodles before cooking, I defrost my noodles overnight before use. Once I forgot to defrost the noodles and put the noodles in boiling water briefly to defrost them. The noodles definitely get defrosted, but the texture is not as chewy after being boiled. If you can’t find dough sliced noodles, you can substitute another flat noodle.

Now if I can only learn how to make the green onion bread…

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs (蝦仁炒蛋, Haa1 Jan4 Caau2 Daan6)

This recipe was updated on 11 Aug 2016. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

This is a real easy dish to make. All you need are eggs, shrimp, green onions, and red peppers (mainly for color contrast). You can choose to make this dish more “eggy” by using more eggs, or more “shrimpy” with fewer eggs, so the amount of eggs to use is a personal preference. For this recipe I used fewer eggs to highlight the shrimp in the dish.

Enjoy!

Spicy Jellyfish with Bell Peppers and Eggs (Ceng1 Ziu1 Caau2 Daan6 Hoi2 Zit3,青椒炒蛋海蜇)

I had dinner with my sister not too long ago and we went to one of the local Chinese restaurants in the area and ordered Jellyfish in XO Sauce. The dish was very good and it’s a dish that I had never eaten before. Jellyfish (hoi² zit³, 海蜇) is normally not the main ingredient in a cooked dish, so this was rather unusual. Jellyfish is usually prepared as an appetizer or as part of a cold dish, such as the Cucumber and Jelly Fish Salad recipe that I posted earlier.

I was looking for a dish to make with the package of salted jellyfish that I had and while this recipe is not that dish, it was inspired by that meal. If you search for jellyfish recipes on the internet, you’ll find that many include chicken. Since I wanted to have jellyfish as the main ingredient, I figured that eggs would be a good addition while keeping the dish centered on jellyfish. You want to use the salted jellyfish rather than the instant variety because you want large pieces of jellyfish in the dish rather than the strips you get with the instant.

XO sauce is a combination of many ingredients, including, but not limited to dried shrimp, dried scallops, hot peppers, garlic, and shallots. I decided to make my own sauce (not XO) by including the previously mentioned ingredients, minus the dried scallops. I also used red bell peppers and green Thai chilies from my garden.

Enjoy!

Eggs with Bitter Melon (Scrambled Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu2 Gwaa1 Caau2 Daan6)

This recipe was updated on 04 Oct 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

Bitter melon, for those who are not familiar with this vegetable, tastes exactly as it’s named and could be considered an acquired taste. I happen to like bitter melon and you can easily moderate the bitterness of the melon to your taste. If you just remove the seeds and pith from the center of the bitter melon and cook it, the bitterness will depend upon the vegetable’s age and could be rather strong. Some people like their bitter melon this way (try it this way with pork spareribs).

Salting and then washing the sliced bitter melon turns out to be the easiest and fastest way to remove any excess bitterness. If the bitter melon is slightly wet, the salt does a better job. I just use wet hands to mix the bitter melon slices and salt together, and that seems to do the trick. You only need 5 minutes to reduce the bitterness. The bitterness will diminish further the longer you leave the salt on the bitter melon, and is mostly removed after 10 minutes. For me, that defeats the purpose of eating this vegetable, and you’re probably losing the nutrients and health benefits. I can see how getting rid of the bitterness is a way to get your kids to eat this vegetable. You can get them acclimated to the taste and then ramp up the bitterness over time! Another method to reduce bitterness involves blanching the bitter melon before stir frying, but you need another pot and boiled water. The texture of the bitter melon will also be different if you use the blanching method.

The Eggs with Bitter Melon (Pancake Style) (苦瓜炒蛋, Fu² Gwaa¹ Caau² Daan⁶) recipe is another version of this dish, where you make an egg pancake with the bitter melon. The preparation is the same, but the cooking method differs.

Enjoy!