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!

Asparagus Turkey (蘆筍火雞, Lou4 Seon2 Fo2 Gai1)

 

This recipe was updated on 08 Oct 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed, and metric measurements added.

 

Asparagus and ground turkey make a great combination together. The dish is usually prepared with ground pork, but ground turkey makes a good substitute. The black beans in chili oil add spiciness to the dish. A prepared black bean garlic sauce can be substituted if no spiciness is desired.

The root end of the asparagus has a tough skin. The usual advice is to take the root end of the asparagus in one hand and the tip end with the other, snap the asparagus (it breaks at the natural tough-tender skin boundary), and discard the root end and use the tip end. However that results in a lot of waste (in my opinion) since the center of the root end is still tender and edible, it’s just the skin that’s tough. So I’ve found that if you use a vegetable peeler, you can remove the tough outer skin and use the entire asparagus stalk. It takes some practice to just remove the asparagus’ tough skin. My first efforts using a vegetable peeler resulted in breaking the stalks and/or peeling too much of the asparagus at the root end, so I had some odd looking asparagus pieces. I’ve tried using a knife to remove the skin, but I’ve found that with practice the vegetable peeler removes less of the asparagus stalk root end’s tender center.

Enjoy!

Three Pepper Chicken Gizzards (三椒鸡胗, Saam1 Ziu1 Gai1 San2)

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

This colorful dish uses bell peppers of three colors, soy sauce chicken gizzards, and some of the chicken gizzard soy sauce poaching liquid to make the sauce. The result is tender chicken gizzards together with crispy bell peppers. The chicken gizzards can be prepared using the Soy Sauce Chicken Gizzards (豉油鸡胗, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹ San²) recipe.

Enjoy!

Soy Sauce Chicken Gizzards (豉油鸡胗, Si6 Jau4 Gai1 San2)

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

Chicken gizzards (鸡胗, gai¹ san²) are an often discarded part of the chicken here in the USA, but are quite good when prepared correctly. Using the technique to make a poached soy sauce chicken, Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鷄, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), chicken gizzards can be made tender and tasty. The soy sauce poaching liquid gives this recipe its distinctive flavor.

Whenever I make this recipe, I use a lot of chicken gizzards (in this case 3 pounds – 1.5 kg.) because whether or not you cook 1- (500 g.) or 3 pounds (1.5 kg.) of chicken gizzards, it takes the same amount of time. Chicken gizzards prepared this way can be eaten alone (often served as an appetizer), or as part of another dish. The Three Pepper Chicken Gizzards (三椒鸡胗, Saam¹ Ziu¹ Gai¹ San²) recipe uses the chicken gizzards prepared using this method. The poaching liquid also makes a good basis for a sauce, but is usually not used alone since it’s very salty.

Enjoy!

Stir-Fried Beef with Yu Choy (油菜炒牛肉, Jau4 Coi3 Caau2 Ngau4 Juk6)

 

This recipe was updated on 16 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Yu choy is a one of the vegetables available at my local Asian market. It looks a lot like Chinese broccoli, so Chinese broccoli is a good substitute if you can’t find yu choy, but any green leafy vegetable can be stir fried with beef. The sauce has chili garlic sauce to give it an extra kick (i.e. a little heat) and is topped with toasted peanuts.

Enjoy!

Miso Salmon Stew (燉味噌鮭魚, Dan6 Mei6 Cang1 Gwai1 Jyu4)

 

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

This is an easy to make, fast cooking stew using miso paste and salmon. Any vegetables can be used in the stew, I happen to have carrots, daikon, and green beans. The amount of miso paste to use depends upon the type and brand of prepared miso paste you use.

Enjoy!

Asian-Brined Smoked Pork Chops

Smoking pork chops is one of my favorite ways to prepare this cut of meat. Brining not only keeps the pork moist, but also adds flavor. While dried red chilies (zi² tin¹ ziu¹, 指天椒) and Sichuan peppercorns (faa¹ ziu¹, 花椒) are used in the brine, the resulting pork chops are not hot, and the five spice powder adds a sweet fragrance. Cherry or apple wood smoke goes well pork, but you can use any available wood.

Enjoy!