Black Bean Japanese Chili Shabu Shabu Beef (豆豉日本指天椒炒涮涮锅牛肉, Dau6 Si6 Jat6 Bun2 Zi2 Tin1 Ziu1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Ngau4 Juk6)

This recipe was updated on 30 Aug 2016. The Cantonese translation for Shabu Shabu was added to the title.

Here’s another recipe using thinly sliced beef, this time using whole dried Japanese chilies, marinated bean curd, brown mushrooms, and long beans. The previous recipe: Black Bean Chili Oil Green String Bean Shabu Shabu Beef Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油青豆角炒涮涮锅牛肉, Hak¹ Dau⁶ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Jau⁴ Ceng¹ Dau⁶ Gok³ Caau² Saan³ Saan³ Wo¹ Ngau⁴ Juk⁶) used black bean chili oil for the sauce. The Japanese chilies give this dish more flavor than heat, but if you really like very hot dishes, regular whole dried red peppers from your local Asian market can be substituted. Thinly sliced meat is used for a Japanese dish called Shabu Shabu. The raw meat is dipped into a stock with chopsticks, moved around quickly in the stock to cook, and then dipped into a sauce before eating. The meat can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. For this recipe, thinly sliced beef is stir fried with other ingredients rather than using it for Shabu Shabu.

Enjoy!

Doubanjiang Bitter Melon Lamb (辣豆瓣酱苦瓜羊肉, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Fu2 Gwaa1 Joeng4 Juk6)

Here’s another lamb stir fry dish using meat from the lamb loin chop. This recipe uses Doubanjiang, which is a spicy fermented paste made from broad beans, and bitter melon. When Doubanjiang is used, the sauce is usually “dry”, so you want it to cling to the ingredients with little or no sauce. The dish is made “backwards”, with the vegetables being cooked first, and the lamb with the previously stir fried Doubanjiang last.

More common (and cheaper) cuts of lamb can be substituted, such as lamb leg or shoulder. Lamb loin chops have two distinct pieces of meat separated by a bone as in a beef T-bone steak. The larger piece of meat is the loin and the smaller is the tenderloin. The two pieces of meat need to be removed from the bone, and then the loin and tenderloin pieces cut thinly using a very sharp knife. Meat from the lamb loin chop is very tender and even though there’s more work involved to prepare the meat for this dish, it’s worth the effort to make this dish if you can get the lamb loin chops for a decent price, otherwise use meat from the lamb leg or shoulder. You’ll need to purchase about 1½ lb. (750 g.) of lamb loin chops to get about ¾ lb. (375 g.) of meat after trimming.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chinese-Style Red Wine Beef Short Ribs (燉紅酒牛肋骨, Dan6 Hung4 Zau2 Ngau4 Lak6 Gwat1)

This recipe uses beef short ribs cut that are not flanken cut, where the ribs are cut thinly across all the bones leaving the connective meat intact for dishes such as Los Angeles Style Korean Barbeque Beef Short Ribs - L.A. Galbi (L.A. 갈비), but the English cut where each individual rib is separated and then cut into pieces. Chinese stew spices - star anise, cassia bark or cinnamon sticks, ginger, garlic, and dried tangerine peel – are used together with red wine to make this dish. So you can also think of this as a red wine beef short rib stew with Chinese spices. Notice that rock sugar or dried dates, which are commonly used in Chinese stews, are not used in this dish. The natural sweetness from the red wine suffices in this recipe and any added sugar would make the dish too sweet. The ingredients are browned (except the daikon) before being placed in the slow cooker, but if you’re in a hurry, this step can be omitted.

Enjoy!

Chili Oil Bean Curd Salted Radish Fuzzy Melon Pork (紅油腐乳菜脯節瓜豬肉, Hung4 Jau4 Fu6 Jyu5 Coi3 Pou2 Zit3 Gwaa1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another recipe using thinly sliced pork, this time using bean curd, salted radish, and fuzzy melon. The previous recipe: Chili Black Bean Bitter Melon Pork (辣椒豆豉苦瓜豬肉, Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Dau⁶ Si⁶ Fu² Gwaa¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶), used a black bean sauce. I used a salted radish made in China rather than Thailand because the radish is more sweet than salty. Thinly sliced meat is used for a Japanese dish called Shabu Shabu. The raw meat is dipped into a stock with chopsticks, moved around quickly in the stock to cook, and then dipped into a sauce before eating. The meat (typically beef) can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. For this recipe, thinly sliced pork butt is stir fried with other ingredients rather than using it for Shabu Shabu. Thinly sliced Berkshire pork can be substituted to make this dish also.

Enjoy!

Chili Black Bean Bitter Melon Pork (辣椒豆豉苦瓜豬肉, Laat6 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Thinly sliced meat is used for a Japanese dish called Shabu Shabu. The raw meat is dipped into a stock with chopsticks, moved around quickly in the stock to cook, and then dipped into a sauce before eating. The meat (typically beef) can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. For this recipe, thinly sliced pork butt is stir fried with other ingredients rather than using it for Shabu Shabu. I used thinly sliced Berkshire pork to make a noodle dish previously: Black Pepper Sauce Kurobuta Pork Chow Mein (黑椒汁豬肉炒麵, Hak¹ Ziu¹ Zap¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶ Caau² Min⁶), and that meat can be substituted to make this dish also.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chili Garlic Sauce Hard Apple Cider Black Pepper Pork Ribeye Steaks (燒烤蒜蓉辣椒酱蘋果酒黑椒豬排, Siu1 Haau1 Syun3 Jung4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3 Ping4 Gwo2 Zau2 Hak1 Ziu1 Zyu1 Paai4)

This is a spicier version of the Grilled Hard Apple Cider Black Pepper Pork Ribeye Steaks (燒烤蘋果酒黑椒豬排, Siu¹ Haau¹ Ping⁴ Gwo² Zau² Hak¹ Ziu¹ Zyu¹ Paai⁴) recipe using chili garlic sauce as part of the hard apple cider and soy sauce marinade. You can of course use regular apple cider in place of the hard apple cider; just use whatever’s available. The marinade is discarded and freshly ground black pepper is used to coat the pork before grilling.

Enjoy!

Oyster Sauce Bitter Melon Beef (蠔油苦瓜牛肉, Hou4 Jau4 Fu2 Gwaa1 Ngau4 Juk6)

This was a taste combination that I thought would not work together – oyster sauce and bitter melon. I thought the flavors would clash, but after making the dish, I can say that this was not the case. The combination tastes pretty good together when combined with beef and Shiitake mushrooms. I think this works because of the slight sweetness of the oyster sauce and the bitterness of the bitter melon complimenting each other. You have to like the taste of bitter melon for this recipe to be a success in your kitchen.

Enjoy!