Doubanjiang Pepper Book Tripe (郫縣豆瓣酱椒牛百葉, Pei4 Jyun6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Ziu1 Ngau4 Baak3 Jip6)

This recipe is very similar to the previously posted beef book tripe recipe: Doubanjiang Bell Pepper Tripe (郫縣豆瓣酱青椒牛百葉, Pei⁴ Jyun⁶ Dau⁶ Faan⁶ Zoeng³ Ceng¹ Ziu¹ Ngau⁴ Baak³ Jip⁶). This recipe uses Poblano chilies, instead of green bell peppers, to give the dish a slightly spicier taste. Poblano chili’s green color is deeper than the bell peppers, so the color gives the dish more contrast against the red of the Doubanjiang. Beef book tripe is another of the cow’s stomachs that are readily available at your local Asian market. While the honeycomb tripe has a honeycomb pattern on one side, the book tripe resembles a book with open pages. The book tripe is commonly served as a Chinese Dim Sum dish and has a crunchier texture than the honeycomb.

Enjoy!

Oyster Sauce Snow Crab Hong Kong Noodles (蠔油雪蟹炒雲吞麵, Hou4 Jau4 Syut3 Haai5 Caau2 Wan4 Tan1 Min6)

Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was available at my local market, so I used it to make a noodle dish with Shiitake mushrooms and fried tofu. I usually use Dungeness crab, since it is seasonally more readily available where I live, but since snow crab was available, I decided to use this crab instead. I really couldn’t tell any difference in taste when I used the snow crab, but it always good to try cooking a dish using ingredients that you’ve never used before.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Lamb with Squid (黑豆辣椒油魷魚羊肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Jau4 Jyu4 Joeng4 Juk6)

Here’s another lamb stir fry dish using meat from the lamb loin chop. This recipe uses black bean chili oil and cooked squid. Cooked squid is occasionally available at my local Asian market, so I buy it whenever I see it. Fresh or frozen squid can be substituted (you’ll have to clean the fresh squid yourself) if cooked squid is not available. The pairing of meat and seafood is a classic Chinese dish combination.

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 lamb 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!

Steamed Chili Black Bean Bitter Melon Pork Baby Back Ribs (紅番椒豆豉苦瓜蒸排骨, Hung4 Faan1 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Fu2 Gwaa1 Zing1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Braised pork spareribs and bitter melon with black bean sauce is a classic Cantonese dish. I previously published a recipe using pork short ribs (similar to pork ribs cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces, but with meat above the bone): Braised Pork Short Ribs with Bitter Melon (燴苦瓜豬排骨, Wui⁶ Fu² Gwaa¹ Zyu¹ Paai⁴ Gwat¹). The pork ribs are marinated beforehand, but this certainly does not have to be done if you prepare this dish at the last minute. For this recipe, I steam the ingredients, which decreases the cooking time and gives the dish another taste profile. The only tricky part to making this dish is that you can’t steam all the ingredients together for the same amount of time, otherwise the bitter melon becomes mushy. So the bitter melon is added to the dish in the steamer for the last 5 minutes of cooking to keep the bitter melon’s texture.

Enjoy!

Shrimp and Dungeness Crab Scrambled Eggs (蝦仁北美大肉蟹炒蛋, Haa1 Jan4 Bak1 Mei5 Daai6 Juk6 Haai5 Caau2 Daan6)

Scrambled eggs and shrimp are a classic combination and my version of the recipe can be found here: Shrimp and Scrambled Eggs (蝦仁炒蛋, Haa¹ Jan⁴ Caau² Daan⁶). I’ve added cooked Dungeness crab meat to the combination to create this easy to cook dish. I also recently found the Cantonese translation for Dungeness crab (北美大肉蟹, bak¹ mei⁵ daai⁶ juk⁶ haai⁵), so I’ve incorporated that into the recipe name. Personal preference determines the amount of eggs to use in this dish. The ratio of eggs to seafood depends (obviously) on the number of eggs used to the amount of seafood. If more eggs than seafood is desired, use more eggs, or use fewer eggs if more seafood than eggs is desired. The dish pictured in the recipe is the later and used six.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Curry Lamb, Lentil, and Cauliflower Stew (燉咖哩兵豆椰菜花羊肉, Dan6 Gaa3 Lei1 Bing1 Dau6 Je4 Coi3 Faa1 Joeng4 Juk6)

This was more of an experiment when I made this dish. I purchased lamb stew meat and wanted to make a lentil curry in the slow cooker. Usually the lentils are cooked aside from the lamb stew, but I wanted to see if I could just use the slow cooker to make the dish all at once. I was afraid that the lentils would disintegrate if cooked for a long time in the slow cooker. It turns out that the lentils didn’t disintegrate, but the cauliflower became mushy after 8 hours of cooking. So I’ve reduced the cooking time to 6 hours in the recipe to reflect this. Otherwise, the stew was easy to make and has an Asian taste due to the lamb marinade used in the curry. You can easily omit marinating the lamb and just add the lamb to the slow cooker to save a step (and time).

Enjoy!

Abalone Sauce Shrimp and Dungeness Crab Chow Fun (鮑魚醬蝦北美大肉蟹炒粉, Baau1 Jyu4 Zoeng3 Haa1 Bak1 Mei5 Daai6 Juk6 Haai5 Caau2 Fan2)

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

This is a luxurious seafood chow fun dish using shrimp and cooked Dungeness crab meat with Gold Coin Shiitake mushrooms. Abalone sauce compliments this dish, but oyster sauce can be substituted if abalone sauce is not available. I happen to live in an area where freshly cooked Dungeness crab can be obtained seasonally (you just have to take the time to remove the meat from the shell), but you can substitute any cooked crab meat, fresh, frozen, or canned.

Gold Coin Shiitake mushrooms are just small Shiitake mushrooms that can be purchased at your local Asian market or Asian herb store. Small mushrooms are used because they can be eaten whole in one bite, but you can substitute regular sized mushrooms cut into strips if the small mushrooms are not available. The small mushrooms are more expensive than the regular sized Shiitake mushrooms, and they vary in price depending upon the quality of the mushroom. You can get the best quality Shiitake mushrooms at an Asian herb store (with the prices to match), but while Asian markets have lower quality mushrooms in comparison, the mushrooms at Asian markets are still very tasty. The main differences between the mushrooms at the herb store and the Asian market are the appearance and “meatiness” of the mushrooms.

Shiitake mushrooms sold in Asian herb stores are whiter in color than black, with a pattern (resembling a flower, as opposed to being a solid black), are prized and priced accordingly. These mushrooms also are more “meaty” than their counterparts, being thicker and having more texture when eaten than the thinner mushrooms normally sold at Asian markets. Some of the best Shiitake mushrooms sold at Asian herb shops come from Japan and are sold for higher prices than the Asian market mushrooms. Asian markets sell higher grade Shiitake mushrooms, but their best mushrooms do not match the quality found at Asian herb shops. If you’re fortunate enough to have an Asian herb shop near you, I would urge you to go in and explore their dried goods offerings (not just mushrooms, but dried fish maw, shrimp, abalone, cloud ear fungus, and the list goes on…).

Enjoy!