Chicken and Fried Tofu with Chive Buds (韭菜花油炸豆腐鷄, Gau2 Coi3 Faa1 Jau4 Zaa3 Dau6 Fu6 Gai1)

This recipe was updated on 17 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Chive buds make this dish attractive looking and tasty. Chive buds are available at your local Asian market, and you can also use garlic buds (another somewhat expensive ingredient) to make this dish, although the dish will have a different flavor.

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!

Chili Lemongrass Shrimp with Sugar Snap Peas (辣椒檸檬葉蜜豆蝦, Laat6 Ziu1 Ning4 Mung4 Jip6 Mat6 Dau6 Haa1)

 

This recipe was updated on 06 Nov 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Lemongrass was available at my local farmer’s market and I couldn’t resist buying it. Like its name, lemongrass has a lemon flavor and looks like a long (about 2 ft. or 60 cm.) thick green stalk of grass. The outer leaves are tough and inedible, so you have to remove the outer layers to reveal the softer inner core, which is edible and a small part of the stalk near the root. The inner core is sliced finely and stir fried with dried red peppers to flavor the oil used in this shrimp dish. Sugar snap peas add the crunch to this dish. Depending upon your tolerance for heat, you can use more or less red chili peppers.

Enjoy!

Basil Shrimp and Italian Sausage Pasta

I actually cook my pasta dishes like I make chow mein – stir frying. In my mind, the technique to make pasta or chow mein is the same, the only differences being the ingredients and the use of a tomato based sauce (usually a bottled pasta sauce). For this dish, shrimp is paired with Italian sausage, since pork and shrimp make a great taste combination. To add more flavor, fresh basil leaves are added at the end of cooking. Top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with Garlic Garlic Bread (the recipe can be found here).

Enjoy!

Steamed Pork Baby Back Ribs with Shrimp Sauce (幼滑蝦醬蒸排骨, Jau3 Waat6 Haa1 Zoeng3 Zing1 Paai4 Gwat1)

 

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

Shrimp sauce, consisting of ground fermented shrimp and salt, is a funny looking, unnatural purple colored sauce, which has a distinctive taste and strong smell. However once cooked, the sauce loses the smell, but keeps its unique salty taste. When coated on with pork baby back ribs, topped with crushed garlic and ginger, and steamed, the combination tastes great. So don’t let your nose prevent you from trying this dish.

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!

Beef Shanghai Noodles (牛肉上海麵, Ngau4 Juk6 Soeng6 Hoi2 Min6)

This recipe was updated on 24 Oct 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Shanghai noodles are thicker than the normal chow mein noodles and have a chewy texture. As with all my noodle recipes, I recommend that you slightly burn the noodles as is done in restaurants to give the dish an added flavor. Sliced garlic is another added ingredient that makes this tasty dish.

Enjoy!