Hot Bean Sauce Bitter Melon Chicken (辣豆辦苦瓜雞, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Gai1)

The bitterness of the bitter melon goes well with the spiciness of the hot bean sauce in this dish. The other ingredients, the chicken and fried tofu, complete the dish. The bitterness of the bitter melon can be controlled by salting the wet bitter melon pieces for up to 10 minutes; more than 10 minutes and the bitterness is mostly removed, so it doesn’t take the salt too long to remove the bitterness. The salt can be omitted if you like the full bitterness of bitter melon.

Enjoy!

Garam Masala Long Bean Shrimp (胡荽豆角蝦, Wu4 Seoi1 Dau6 Gok3 Haa1)

Garam masala powder is the basis for this dish and I think of it as a spicier version of curry powder. I think I got the translation into Chinese correct for garam masala, but I’m not certain. The use of prepared curry powder is common in Cantonese American dishes, so the use of garam masala is a variation on the more common dish that uses curry powder. This is actually a good dish to have over rice.

Enjoy!

Steamed Lemon Garlic Black Bean Pork Baby Back Ribs (檸蒜蓉豆豉蒸排骨, Ning4 Syun1 Jung4 Dau6 Si6 Zing1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Steaming is one of my favorite methods to cook pork spareribs since the cooking time is relatively quick when compared to other methods. Using salted black beans with garlic is a classic Cantonese preparation with steamed pork spareribs, which are usually cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces. I also use this method for whole pork baby back ribs, which are just as tasty. The added twist to the recipe is the addition of lemon juice just before steaming, which adds another flavor to the dish. You can prepare this dish ahead of time (i.e. the night before) and even used a prepared black bean garlic sauce (I recommend the Lee Kum Kee brand), but don’t add the lemon juice until just before the dish is steamed.

Enjoy!

Pea Sprouts with Duck Eggs (豆苗鴨蛋, Dau6 Miu4 Aap3 Daan6)

Pea sprouts are the shoots that are usually discarded after pea pods are picked from the plant. This classic Cantonese dish pairs the pea sprouts with two types of duck eggs – one salted and one preserved. The cooked salted duck egg is a duck egg preserved in salt, which results in a dark orange yolk and firm egg white. The preserved duck egg has a yolk that is dark green color and the egg whites are dark brown as the result of alkaline preservation. The preserved duck egg is also known as “hundred-year” and “thousand-year” old eggs. Be assured that preserved duck eggs are not that old! You can purchase all the ingredients for this dish at your local Asian market.

Enjoy!

Black Pepper Sauce Beef with Long Beans and Enoki Mushrooms (黑椒汁金菇豆角牛肉, Hak1 Ziu1 Zap1 Gam1 Gu1 Dau6 Gok3 Ngau4 Juk6)

Fresh enoki mushrooms come packaged as a single block with a base from which the individual enoki were grown. The mushrooms themselves have long stems with a very small cap. The enoki mushrooms are cut from the base, which is discarded, and then are added to the beef and long beans in this dish.

Enjoy!

Curry Cashew Long Bean Shrimp (咖哩腰果豆角蝦, Gaa3 Lei1 Jiu1 Gwo2 Dau6 Gok3 Haa1)

When you see a dish in a Chinese restaurant whose title contains the word, curry, it means that curry powder was added to the sauce. These dishes are usually stir fried (even when curry is used in a clay pot) and reflects the quick nature of Chinese wok cooking. This dish reflects that background using long beans and shrimp. The cashew nuts are toasted while the wok heats up, and then the ingredients are cooked quickly over high heat before adding the curry sauce. The one thing that a home kitchen can’t reproduce fully is the wok flavor imparted to the dish that comes from using high heat available in restaurant, the so called, “breath of the wok” (鑊氣, wok⁶ hei³).

Enjoy!

Tagu Choy with Dried Shrimp (蝦米塌古菜, Haa1 Mai5 Taap3 Gu2 Coi3)

Tagu choy (sometimes called taku choy) is a long stemmed vegetable available at your local Asian market. It makes a good change of pace from using another Asian leafy vegetable in a stir fry. If tagu choy is not available, you can substitute any Asian leafy vegetable in its place. Dried shrimp always adds a good flavor to vegetable dishes and, if desired, the rehydration liquid adds flavor to the sauce.

Enjoy!