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!