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!

Grilled Tea Smoked Chicken (燒烤茶葉熏雞, Siu1 Haau1 Caa4 Jip6 Fan1 Gai1)

This is my version of tea smoked chicken using a marinated whole chicken and an outdoor barbeque grill. Any fragrant tea can be used for smoking, I happen to use oolong tea leaves. Tea smoking is usually associated with duck and done indoors in a covered wok, but chicken works just as well. In this case I used a whole chicken, but you can just as easily substitute chicken parts for the whole. I use my outdoor barbeque grill to cook the chicken because it’s so much easier (no cleanup) and the house doesn’t end up smelling of smoke (despite a good ventilation system over the stove). The traditional recipe for this dish has the unmarinated chicken (or duck) first steamed, then smoked, and then deep fried. When you eat this dish at a restaurant, that’s probably the way the dish was prepared, since the chicken or duck can be steamed well before being ordered, and then quickly smoked and deep fried before being served. The end result is a crispy tea smoked chicken or duck with succulent flesh.

My grilled version of tea smoked chicken doesn’t have the crispy skin that you find in the restaurant dish, but cooking the chicken is so much easier. The same ingredients used to tea smoke the traditional dish are used in the grilled version, except for the sugar. Sugar is one of the ingredients (amongst others) used in a foil packet to tea smoke the chicken. When a chicken or duck is tea smoked indoors in a wok, sugar can be used because of the short amount of time (maybe 10 minutes) needed to smoke the cooked chicken. Since I cook and tea smoke my chicken in a barbeque grill, the time needed to both cook and smoke the chicken is much longer (30-40 minutes), so the sugar burns and make the smoke acrid. So I leave the sugar out of the tea smoking ingredients when I use the grill.

I used a basic soy sauce marinade to grill the whole chicken. I put the chicken on a “beer can” stand to roast it upright in the barbeque. While I didn’t use a beer can to keep the chicken upright, I have an apparatus that has two rods attached to a pan that keeps the chicken standing while being grilled. The standing chicken is placed in the charcoal grate, without using the grill grate. The barbeque cover can’t be used if the standing chicken is placed on the grill grate in a 22.5 in. (57 cm.) barbeque grill, so that’s why the standing chicken is placed on the charcoal grate with the coals arranged around it in a circle.

You can look at the Poached Chicken (白斬雞, Baak⁶ Zaam² Gai¹) with Ginger-Scallion Oil (薑蔥油, Goeng¹ Cung¹ Jau⁴) recipe for instructions on cutting and arranging a chicken on a platter.

Enjoy!

Chili Black Bean Sauce Chicken and Imitation Lobster Balls (辣椒豆豉龍蝦丸鷄, Laat6 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Lung4 Haa1 Jyun4 Gai1)

Imitation lobster balls are available at your local Asian market either refrigerated or frozen. One of the local markets that I frequent, had some already thawed in the refrigerated section in the fish section. Imitation lobster balls are really fish balls with red bits (to resemble lobster) and lobster flavor added, so any fish or shrimp ball can be substituted if lobster balls are not available. If real lobster were used, this dish would be very luxurious and very expensive to make! The lobster balls are paired with chicken to make a classic seafood and meat flavor combination dish.

Enjoy!

Madras Curry Paste Beef Banana Shank and Tendon Stew (马德拉斯咖喱醬燜牛筋牛腱, Maa5 Dak1 Laai1 Si1 Gaa3 Lei1 Zoeng3 Man1 Ngau4 Gan1 Ngau4 Gin3)

While this recipe would seem to be more appropriate during the winter, it is still tasty when cooked during the summer, especially when you use a slow cooker (i.e. crockpot) to make the dish. Fresh lotus root is probably not in season during the summer, since I couldn’t find it at any of my local Asian markets. So pre-cut frozen lotus root makes a good substitute when fresh is not available (and then even the frozen lotus root slices can sometimes be hard to find). If lotus root cannot be found, daikon makes a good substitute.

Beef banana shank and beef tendon go together to make a classic Chinese stew. This dish is very similar to the Beef Shank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腱, Man¹ Ngau⁴ Gan¹ Ngau⁴ Gin³) recipe. The difference between the recipes being, of course, the addition of Madras Curry Paste to the dish. Madras Curry Paste can be purchased at your local Asian market, or you can make your own by mixing Madras Curry Powder with a neutral oil to make a slurry. Chee Hou sauce is also an important ingredient to making this dish. Chee Hou sauce is a prepared sauce and is similar in taste to hoisin sauce (which can be substituted if you can’t find it at your local Asian market) and has a slightly spicier taste to it.

Boneless beef banana shank is usually prepared and served as a cold dish appetizer at Chinese banquets, in a very similar preparation as for this stew dish. This cut of meat is usually not available at your local market, but can be found in Asian markets. If you can’t find beef banana shank, beef outside flank makes a good substitute. Beef tendon is another part of the cow available at Asian markets either whole or already cut into pieces. It’s a texture ingredient that produces a great mouth feel when eaten. Uncooked, it’s tough and hard to cut, cooked long and slow, and it becomes soft. There’s really no substitute for this ingredient, so if you can’t find it, it can be omitted, but the stew won’t be the same.

Enjoy!

Chili Oil Bean Curd Cloud Ear Long Bean Chicken (紅油腐乳雲耳豆角鷄, Hung4 Jau4 Fu6 Jyu5 Wan4 Ji5 Dau6 Gok3 Gai1)

Fermented bean curd is the basis for the sauce for this dish. I used a fermented bean curd with chili, but a regular version can be substituted if you prefer the dish without any spiciness. The quantity (i.e. the number of cakes) to use is a personal preference, so feel free to increase or decrease the amount used. Fresh cloud ear fungus is available at your local Asian market. If fresh is not available, dried can be substituted. Just remember that dried cloud ear fungus expands greatly once rehydrated, so use a smaller amount of the dried than fresh.

Enjoy!

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 was updated on 28 Aug 2016. The title was changed to incorporate the Chinese translation for beef book tripe.

This recipe is very similar to the previously posted beef honeycomb tripe recipe: Doubanjiang Beef Tripe with Bell Peppers (辣豆瓣酱青椒牛柏葉, Laat⁶ Dau⁶ Faan⁶ Zoeng³ Ceng¹ Ziu¹ Ngau⁴ Paak³ Jip⁶). This recipe uses beef book tripe instead, Shiitake mushrooms, and bell peppers cut into strips to match shape of the tripe pieces. 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!

Hard Apple Cider Soy Sauce Chicken (蘋果酒豉油鷄, Ping4 Gwo2 Zau2 Si6 Jau4 Gai1)

If this recipe and the above picture look familiar, then you’ve looked at the Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鷄, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹) recipe. This recipe differs by the use of hard apple cider instead of Shaoxing Rice Wine in the poaching liquid. The chicken takes on a slightly sweeter flavor when hard apple cider is used. The poached chicken’s dark color comes from the use of thick soy sauce, which has molasses in it. Usually soy sauce chicken recipes call for the use of dark soy sauce, which you can use, but I prefer using thick soy sauce because it produces a better overall dark color in the chicken. Poaching chicken is an easy and fast way to cook a chicken. The Poached Chicken (白斬雞, Baak⁶ Zaam² Gai¹) with Ginger-Scallion Oil (薑蔥油, Goeng¹ Cung¹ Jau⁴) recipe has instructions on how to cut and present the chicken. Just be sure you have a good sharp Chinese cleaver and a wood cutting board, and with a little practice, you’ll be able to cut chickens as if you worked in a Chinese delicatessen. The chicken can be served immediately while warm or at room temperature after overnight refrigeration.

Enjoy!

Beef Shank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腱, Man1 Ngau4 Gan1 Ngau4 Gin3)

Beef shank and beef tendon go together to make a classic Chinese stew. This dish is very similar to the Beef Flank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腩, Man¹ Ngau⁴ Gan¹ Ngau⁴ Naam⁵) recipe. Chee Hou sauce is an important ingredient to making this dish. Chee Hou sauce is a prepared sauce and is similar in taste to hoisin sauce (which can be substituted if you can’t find it at your local Asian market) and has a slightly spicier taste to it.

Boneless beef shank is usually prepared and served as a cold dish appetizer at Chinese banquets, in a very similar preparation as for this stew dish. This cut of meat is usually not available at your local market, but can be found in Asian markets. If you can’t find beef shank, beef outside flank makes a good substitute. Beef tendon is another part of the cow available at Asian markets either whole or already cut into pieces. It’s a texture ingredient that produces a great mouth feel when eaten. Uncooked, it’s tough and hard to cut, cooked long and slow, and it becomes soft. There’s really no substitute for this ingredient, so if you can’t find it, it can be omitted, but the stew won’t be the same.

Enjoy!

Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste) Fish Ball and Kurobuta Pork (苦椒醬魚蛋豬肉, Fu2 Jiao1 Zoeng3 Jyu4 Daan6 Zyu1 Juk6)

My local Japanese market had thinly sliced Kurobuta pork loin on sale and, as usual, bought it before knowing what dish I was going to make. Kurobuta pork, or Berkshire pork, is a heritage pig, meaning that it’s not the mass farmed pig that’s raised in the USA whose meat is widely available in grocery stores. The only way I can describe the taste compared to regular is that Kurobuta pork is more “porky” tasting. If Kurobuta pork is not available at your local Asian market, then regular pork may be substituted. I added fish balls to make the classic seafood and meat combination found in Chinese dishes, and then decided to use Korean hot pepper paste and powder to give the dish an added Asian twist.

Enjoy!

Pixian Doubanjiang Cashew Fuzzy Melon Shrimp (郫縣豆瓣酱腰果節瓜蝦, Pei4 Jyun6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Jiu1 Gwo2 Zit3 Gwaa1 Haa1)

Pixian Doubanjiang (Pixian Spicy Fermented Broad Bean Paste) is a spicy fermented paste made from broad beans in Sichuan Province in China. The paste should not be confused with spicy sauces made from soy beans, which have a totally different taste. Doubanjiang can be purchased in the sauce section of your local Asian market. There are many manufacturers of Doubanjiang, so you might want to try out the different brands before settling in on one. I choose one of the brands that’s fermented in Sichuan Province.

The Doubanjiang is first stir fried by itself before adding the other ingredients, and the dishes are typically made with little liquid, with the sauce being “dry”, rather than “wet” with more liquid. I decided to make this dish with more sauce, so this is an atypical Doubanjiang recipe that tastes pretty good over rice or noodles. The spiciness of the Doubanjiang is nicely contrasted with the slight sweetness of the salted radish (I used a brand from China rather than Thailand to get this taste). The cashew nuts add a nice texture contrast with the other ingredients.

Enjoy!

Chili Black Bean Salted Radish Long Bean Chicken (辣椒豆豉菜脯豆角鷄, Laat6 Ziu1 Dau6 Si6 Coi3 Pou2 Dau6 Gok3 Gai1)

Salted radish is added to the dish to give a crunchy and slightly sweet addition to a standard chicken stir fry with long beans. Depending upon where the salted radish is packaged (usually China or Thailand) and the manufacturer, the salted radish saltiness ranges from minimal to very salty. I used a brand from China that has minimal saltiness and has a slight sweet flavor to it. I used a prepared black bean sauce with chili, but a less spicy brand can be substituted or you can make the sauce from scratch.

Enjoy!

Japanese Chili Cashew Long Bean Shrimp (日本指天椒腰果豆角蝦仁, Jat6 Bun2 Zi2 Tin1 Ziu1 Jiu1 Gwo2 Dau6 Gok3 Haa1 Jan4)

This dish is similar to the previously published Cashew Shrimp with Long Beans (腰果豆角蝦仁, Jiu¹ Gwo² Dau⁶ Gok³ Haa¹ Jan⁴) recipe. This dish is spicier than the previous recipe with the addition of dried Japanese chilies. Japanese chilies are available at your local Mexican market and provide more flavor than heat to a dish. You can substitute dried red chilies from your local Asian market, but they provide more heat than flavor. The flavor of the chilies is balanced by using oyster sauce, which provides a slight sweetness to the dish.

Enjoy!

This dish is not in the Recipe Index due to a blog problem.

Chicken Crab Chow Mein (蟹鷄炒麵, Haai5 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

Noodles with meat and seafood are a tasty combination. For this recipe, chicken and crab are combined in this dish. If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area where fresh Dungeness crab is seasonally available, by all means take the effort to extract the meat from the cooked crabs to make this dish. If you’re not so fortunate, canned or frozen crab can be substituted. I think I’ve commented on this before, but noodle dishes seem so simple to make, but require many steps to make, and are always worth the effort.

Enjoy!

This dish is not in the Recipe Index due to blog problem.

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!

Grilled Chili Garlic Sauce Hard Apple Cider Black Pepper Turkey Wings (燒烤蒜蓉辣椒酱蘋果酒黑椒火雞翼, Siu1 Haau1 Syun3 Jung4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3 Ping4 Gwo2 Zau2 Hak1 Ziu1 Fo2 Gai1 Jik6)

I used a bottle of hard apple cider, chili garlic sauce, and soy sauce as the basis for the marinade for this grilled turkey wing recipe. 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 turkey before grilling.

Enjoy!

Black Pepper Sauce Kurobuta Pork Chow Mein (黑椒汁豬肉炒麵, Hak1 Ziu1 Zap1 Zyu1 Juk6 Caau2 Min6)

Here’s another recipe using Kurobuta (aka Berkshire) pork, which is a heritage breed with more flavor. The last recipes to use Kurobuta pork were made with spareribs in a clay pot: Clay Pot Black Bean Sauce Kurobuta Pork Spareribs (砂煲豆豉豬排骨, Saa¹ Bou¹ Dau⁶ Si⁶ Zyu¹ Paai⁴ Gwat¹) and Clay Pot Basil Pork Sparerib and Fish Ball (砂煲紫蘇魚蛋豬排骨, Saa¹ Bou¹ Zi² Sou¹ Jyu⁴ Daan⁶ Zyu¹ Paai⁴ Gwat¹). This recipe uses thinly sliced Kurobuta pork butt in a stir fry noodle dish. Regular pork butt sliced thinly can be used if Kurobuta is not available at your local Asian market.

I was asked recently about making the dishes found on this blog when a particular manufacturer’s brand was specified in the recipe. If you notice in the ingredient list where a brand is specified, I specify a brand and add the words “or equivalent”. For this recipe, I’ve specified Lee Kum Kee’s brand of Black Pepper Sauce. Lee Kum Kee is not the only manufacturer of Black Pepper Sauce, so while it is the brand I use, feel free to substitute another manufacturer’s Black Pepper Sauce (which would be the “or equivalent) that’s easily available to you. Adapt your recipe to use the local ingredients and brands, and don’t worry about using the exact brand specified.

Enjoy!

Green String Beans with Dried Shrimp and Japanese Chilies (日本指天椒蝦米青豆角, Jat6 Bun2 Zi2 Tin1 Ziu1 Haa1 Mai5 Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3)

This is actually a very easy dish to make and is made with a minimal amount of sauce. There are three principal ingredients: green string beans, dried shrimp, and whole dried Japanese chilies. Green string beans are a common enough ingredient that can be obtained at any local market. The dried shrimp can be purchased at your local Asian market (usually from the refrigerated section). In this case, I used the smallest sized dried shrimp available, but you can use whatever sized dried shrimp that you have. Finally the last principal ingredient is the dried whole Japanese chili peppers.

The dried whole Japanese chili peppers were purchased at my local Mexican market, which are similar to the more common Chile de árbol peppers (which have more heat to them). The dried Japanese chili peppers aren’t mind numbing hot like the dried red chilies that you can purchase at your local Asian market. While there is some heat, the chilies are more flavorful than hot. The whole Japanese chilies make the dish very spicy without being overly hot, but you can substitute the Asian red chilies if you really like the mind numbing hotness. Ground pork (actually any ground meat) can also be added to this dish.

Enjoy!

Clay Pot Black Bean Sauce Kurobuta Pork Spareribs (砂煲豆豉豬排骨, Saa1 Bou1 Dau6 Si6 Zyu1 Paai4 Gwat1)

Here’s another clay pot recipe using pork spareribs. The first recipe was Clay Pot Basil Pork Sparerib and Fish Ball (砂煲紫蘇魚蛋豬排骨, Saa¹ Bou¹ Zi² Sou¹ Jyu⁴ Daan⁶ Zyu¹ Paai⁴ Gwat¹). This time the recipe uses Kurobuta (aka Berkshire) pork, which is a heritage breed with more flavor. Regular pork spareribs can be used if Kurobuta is not available at your local Asian market. Clay pots need to be prepared before using for the first time to prevent cracking. I used this website for advice: Clay Pot Use and Maintenance Tips at Chinese Soup Pot. Since the pork spareribs take some time to cook and to cook the dish all at once, the other ingredients used were chosen to hold up to the cooking time (the green onions are added after cooking is complete).

The pork spareribs are placed into the clay pot first after being stir fried. Since the pork spareribs are in contact with the clay pot during cooking, the meat gets an added flavorful crust that cannot be obtained by just stir frying. I’ve seen some recipes where the browning is done in the clay pot, rather than a wok, but using high heat with a clay pot can crack it, so I used the wok for browning. Another advantage of using a clay pot is that it also serves as the serving dish and keeps the contents hot.

Enjoy!

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)

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

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese dish where thinly sliced meat is swished in a hot broth (the name coming from the noise the meat makes as it is moved through the broth) with chopsticks before dipping in a sauce and eating. I bought Shabu Shabu beef at my local Japanese market and used it in a stir fry instead. The quality of meat used to make Shabu Shabu beef is of high quality. The highest quality coming from Japanese Wagu or Kobe beef, where the marbling of the fat makes the meat melt in your mouth (and with a corresponding high price!). I’ve been fortunate enough to have this dish and that highest quality of beef when I traveled in Japan.

While I didn’t use that quality of beef for this dish, the American beef was still of high quality and was cut from the prime rib into thin slices. I usually use baking soda to tenderize the meat before marinating. In this case, there’s no need for baking soda since the beef quality is so good and it so thinly sliced. The beef is cut further into smaller strips to make it easier to eat in a stir fry dish. Using Shabu Shabu beef in a stir fry is similar to using other cuts of beef (like flank or flap meat), but since the beef is sliced so thinly, the cooking time is quicker. The mouth feel when the dish is eaten is also different because the beef has more surface area.

Enjoy!

Fermented Red Bean Curd Lamb Clay Pot (砂煲南乳羊肉, Saa1 Bou1 Naam4 Jyu5 Joeng4 Juk6)

This clay pot recipe uses lamb with fermented red bean curd and bean curd sticks. The combination is a classic Chinese dish and now that I have a clay pot, cooking the dish is just a matter of assembling the ingredients. I bought a clay pot recently and used it to make this dish. Clay pots need to be prepared before using for the first time to prevent cracking. I used this website for advice: Clay Pot Use and Maintenance Tips at Chinese Soup Pot.

Lamb stew meat was available at my local market, which usually is lamb shoulder or leg meat already cut into pieces. Purchasing already cut lamb meat saves a step in the preparation of this dish. The lamb is placed into the clay pot after being marinated, although if you’re in a hurry, marinating the meat can be skipped. Since the lamb meat is in contact with the clay pot during cooking, the meat gets an added flavorful crust that cannot be obtained by using a slow cooker. Another method to make this dish is to put cut cabbage or lettuce on the bottom of the clay pot before adding all the other ingredients. You will typically see this preparation when at restaurants. The clay pot is used as the serving dish and keeps the contents hot.

Enjoy!

Doubanjiang Bitter Melon Chicken (辣豆瓣酱苦瓜鷄, Laat6 Dau6 Faan6 Zoeng3 Fu2 Gwaa1 Gai1)

Spicy broad bean paste (Doubanjiang) is used to make a variation of a common Cantonese dish: Chicken with bitter melon. For some reason I used more liquid than usual to make the sauce for this dish (as reflected in the picture above), which is usually dry (i.e. the sauce clings to the ingredients). I’ve written the recipe to produce a “dry” sauce, but feel free to add more liquid if more sauce is desired.

Enjoy!

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)

This recipe was updated on 01 May 2016. The Chinese name for the recipe was added.

I used a bottle of hard apple cider and soy sauce as the basis for the marinade for this grilled pork ribeye steak recipe. 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!

Chili Oil Bean Curd Shrimp and Chicken with Green Beans (紅油腐乳青豆角蝦鷄, Hung4 Jau4 Fu6 Jyu5 Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Haa1 Gai1)

Chili oil bean curd is the principal ingredient for the sauce in this shrimp and chicken combination dish. The bean curd is fermented and come bottled as “cakes”. You remove the number of cakes from the bottle depending upon your personal preference for the taste of this ingredient. Some of the liquid (or oil in this case) can also be added to the sauce.

Enjoy!