Gingered Kale and Bok Choy

I swear that Gary changes is mind about foods every other day. One day, we saw a Vitamix demo at Whole Foods. The guy doing the demo made a green smoothie with all kinds of fruits and kale. He thought it tasted good. Meanwhile, I've tried to give him a green monster smoothie a while back and he didn't like it.

So fast forward to the present, I decided to pick up some kale for smoothies, or just to eat. I told him I would make a smoothie, but he didn't want any part of that! Of course, I mentioned that he liked it before, and he even likes the Bolthouse bottled ones as well as the Naked Juices, but NO!

OK, fine. I decided to find another way to use up the kale and found this recipe. It's a simple and quick stir-fried veggie dish that is similar to how I am used to frying vegetables, in a wok! I've used ginger with mushrooms, and I usually use garlic to stirfry vegetables. I don't know why I didn't think of stir frying the veggies in ginger too!

I had all the ingredients on hand. I omitted the cilantro since I'm not a huge fan. I've started to like it in certain dishes, but I wasn't sure how it would taste in this. I also added some almonds as a garnish for extra crunch.

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Gingered Kale and Bok Choy

made by cathy's kitchen journey
adapted from All the Good Blog Names are Taken




ingredients:

• 1 big handful baby kale, roughly chopped into 1" pieces
• 5 heads baby bok choy or shanghai bok choy, roughly chopped into 1" pieces
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 1 TBSP minced ginger
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt to taste
• slivered almonds for garnish (optional)

directions:

1. Clean and rinse the vegetables thoroughly to get the sand out. Roughly chop into 1" pieces.
2. In a hot wok, add the oil and heat. Add ginger and mix continuously for 30 seconds.
3. Add the vegetables, mix with the wok spatula until they're vibrant green, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add a few sprinkles of salt, and soy sauce. Mix for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and top with slivered almonds.

Yield: 3-4 servings

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Curry Chicken Tenders

So, my posts have been kind of sparse lately. There’s a few reasons for that.

1. Work has picked up and I’ve been getting home later, 8pm is no time to start cooking dinner.
2. Gary’s home now, so I’ve been leaving the cooking up to him. I rather enjoy coming home with dinner ready for me.
3. I’ve been in a cooking and baking rut, and have no new ideas of what to cook; although I keep flagging recipes to make.
4. My baking itch is pretty much dormant right now.

So, with Gary cooking almost every night, we’ve been eating meals we’ve made before with a few new ones mixed in. Gary saw this recipe for satay chicken tenders and decided to try it. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but one of the few spicy things I can tolerate is curry. I love curry chicken, so this was a good choice any day of the week.



The original recipe called for chicken tenders, but any part of the chicken will do. We used a chicken breast for this and pounded it with a meat mallet to tenderize. He also used half the amount of curry powder stated, but I recommend using the full amount (as written below) because it could have used that extra kick. Martin Yan heats the remaining marinade to pour over the chicken, but I didn’t have any excess left.

Grilled Curry Chicken Tenders
adapted from: Martin Yan Quick and Easy
printable recipe

ingredients:
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP curry powder
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 lb chicken breast

directions:
In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except chicken. Set aside.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Place chicken on top and cover with another piece of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet with the flat side. Remove plastic wrap. Cut into 1 inch wide strips against the grain at an angle. Add chicken into the marinade, mixing well to coat evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat up the grill (foreman, grill pan, etc). Place chicken on the George Foreman grill, cook for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

If you do have reserved marinade left over, you can heat it up in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Pour the sauce over the chicken before serving.

Serves 4

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Recently, Gary has had some free time on his hands (read: he’s no longer employed), so he decided to use some of his time productively. He decided he wanted to experiment in the kitchen. He started out with Martin Yan’s quick and easy cookbook (recipe post to come soon), and he started looking through The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook written by Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen. He’s made a few recipes from the cookbook already, and they’ve been great so far. I think it’s very well written, and the instructions are clear for someone who is beginning in the kitchen. Her recipes also remind me of things I ate growing up at home. I think I need to start asking my mom how she made all those thing I used to love eating as well…

One of the first recipes Gary tried out was this sweet and sour chicken recipe. Sweet and sour chicken is one of our favorite things to order at the local fast food places, but the deep fried greasiness isn’t so great all the time. As Jaden said, this recipe is a great lightened up version of the fast food favorite.

I was pretty bummed when Gary told me he was making this because I ended up working late that night. So instead of eating it right after it was made, I ended up eating it for lunch the next day. I asked him to take a picture for me, so this is what he got.

Other than the fact that Gary used half a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple instead of cutting up the can of rings that were in the pantry, he pretty much stayed true to the original recipe.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
adapted from: Steamy Kitchen via Simply Recipes

printable recipe

ingredients:
1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 10-ounce can pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1/4 cup juice from the canned pineapple
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

directions:
In a bowl, combine the chicken with the egg white, salt and cornstarch. Stir to coat the chicken evenly. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, whisk together the pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, salt, and brown sugar.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water instantly sizzles and evaporates. Pour in the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. It's important that the pan is very hot. Add the chicken and spread the chicken out in one layer. Let the chicken fry, untouched for 1 minute, until the bottoms are browned. Flip and fry the other side the same for 1 minute. The chicken should still be pinkish in the middle. Dish out the chicken onto a clean plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Turn the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Let the oil heat up and then add the bell pepper chunks and ginger. Fry for 1 minute. Add the pineapple chunks and the sweet and sour sauce. Turn the heat to high and when the sauce is simmering, add the chicken pieces back in. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Timing depends on how thick you've cut your chicken. The best way to tell if the chicken is done is to take a piece out and cut into it. If it's pink, add another minute to the cooking.

Taste the sauce and add more brown sugar if you’d like.

Serves 4.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Gary and I usually don’t agree on the same flavors of ice cream. When I ask him for his suggestion on the next ice cream flavor to make, he usually asks me to make a sorbet instead. Whoa, it’s like the Twilight Zone! Years ago, he was all into the ice cream, eating a whole quart in one sitting. Me, on the other hand, would have a fruit bar or popsicle in my hand. I was always lazy to scoop ice cream. I loved how convenient popsicles were because I could just grab it out of the freezer and have instant gratification. Ice cream on the other hand had to be scooped, and sometimes it would be hard to scoop, and I had little patience for that. How times have changed since then.

When I asked Gary if he would like black sesame ice cream, his eyes lit up! Black sesame desserts were something we both grew up with. They sell little pouches of instant dessert mixes in the Chinese supermarkets in flavors like black sesame or peanut (both of which we have in the pantry). It brings back memories of my childhood because my mom used to make it for us…however I vaguely remember her grinding up sesame seeds and making it from scratch.

If Gary had said no, he wasn’t interested in that flavor, I would have made it as written. I knew he would have been interested so I had already looked up dairy free alternatives for the ingredients. The recipe came together very nicely. The dairy free sweetened condensed milk actually tasted like the real thing! Gary loves coconut flavor, me not so much. The “half and half” had a hint of coconut flavor without being too overpowering. Gary also said it looked like cement when it was done…LOL!

This recipe is vegan if using the dairy free alternatives.

Black Sesame Ice Cream
inspired by: The Cooking of Joy
printable recipe

ingredients:
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk (dairy free version below)
3 1/2 cups half and half (dairy free version below)
2 pouches black sesame instant powder mix

for dairy free sweetened condensed milk, adapted from Go Dairy Free:
combine 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup plus 2 TBSP soy milk powder in a nonstick saucepan (otherwise you’ll have a tough time cleaning your pan afterwards) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until thick, about 15-20 minutes. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool. Milk will thicken more as it cools. Store in refrigerator if not being used immediately.

for dairy free half and half, adapted from Go Dairy Free:
Combine 1 3/4 cup coconut cream to 1 3/4 cup soy milk (1:1 ratio). I used a coconut cream powder mixed with water for the coconut cream.

directions:
Whisk together all ingredients.

Store in fridge to chill.

Freeze in ice cream maker per the manufacturer's instructions.

Chicken Mushroom Romaine Lettuce Stack

Or you can call this a romaine lettuce “lasagna”. Whatever you call it, it will still tasty the same…delicious!

Earlier in the week, I purchased a family size bag of romaine lettuce because it was on sale. Of course, there’s a certain amount of salads I can eat before I get sick and tired of it. I wanted to come up with something else to use up with the chicken I had in the fridge, so I thought about the cabbage wraps my sister makes. She uses ground pork and fishcakes…but of course Gary and I don’t eat pork.

I called her and I asked her what she added in her recipe, and as we were talking, I came up with this idea. Since romaine is fairly hard to roll unless I wilt it first, why not layer it like a lasagna?

So this is what spawned from that idea.

Chicken Shitake Mushroom Romaine “Lasagna” Layers

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless chicken thighs, ground (or use ground chicken)
8 dried shitake mushrooms (or use fresh)
2 scallions sliced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1 tsp salt
dash of white pepper
1 bunch romaine hearts
cooking spray

Directions:
Soak dried mushrooms in cold water for about 20 minutes, or until softened.

Meanwhile, trim excess fat from chicken thighs and cut into 1” cubes, add to food processor. Squeeze water from mushrooms, break off mushrooms stems, discard stems, and add the mushroom caps to the food processor. Pulse both items in food processor a few times until ground.

Mix in scallions, soy sauce, mirin, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.

Spray cooking oil in a 9” glass pan, line the bottom with a layer of the large leaves of the romaine lettuce. At this point, you can also add another layer of the little pieces that are from the middle of the heart.

Spread half the chicken mixture on the romaine. Repeat with another layer of romaine, then the rest of the chicken mixture, then top with the last layer of romaine.

Steam for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Cut into pieces, and enjoy!

This tasted great! This also reminded me of dumpling filling, so I might even use it for that!

 

This recipe is being submitted to:

Beef and Tofu Stir-Fry

Let me start off by saying that this picture doesn’t look very appetizing, but it does taste good. I hate it when something tastes so good, but looks so disgusting. Well, don’t let the picture fool you. This is a great way to use up tofu.

The recipe called for firm tofu, but I had some silken tofu I needed to use up so I used that. I recommend using the firm tofu so it keeps it’s shape better.

Beef and Tofu Stir Fry
Adapted from: Martin Yan Quick and Easy

Ingredients:
Marinade:
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 lb flank steak (I cut into slices)

Sauce:
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (14oz) package firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2" cubes (I used silken tofu)
1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tsp water

Directions:
1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add beef and stir to coat evenly. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

3. Heat a stir fry pan or wok on high heat. Add the oil, swirl to coat the sides. Add ginger and onion, cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef and stir fry until it is no longer pink in the center, about 2 minutes. Add the tofu and sauce and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cornstarch solution and cook, stir until the sauce thickens, about 20 seconds.

3. Transfer to plate and serve. We ate this over rice.

Hoisin Five Spice Chicken Legs

I love chicken drumsticks and thighs. I had some in the freezer that I needed to use up. I found this recipe at epicurious.com and it seemed simple and easy enough for a weeknight meal.

The original recipe called for only hoisin, 5 spice powder and chicken. However, I read the reviews and decided to add some more ingredients to add a little extra something. I halved the ingredients because I had only 4 drumsticks, but the recipe called for 4 whole chicken legs.

I was also hesitant with baking something at 500°, but I remember seeing chicken wings baked at 500° before with no problem. The smoke detector did go off when I was making this! I guess it was because the garlic burned…

Hoisin Five Spice Chicken Legs
Adapted from: epicurious.com

Ingredients:
4 chicken drumsticks
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500°F.

2. Put chicken in a shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan lined with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

3. In a bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Brush liberally all over chicken. Bake in upper third of oven until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

My chicken was probably bigger than normal. I baked for about 35+ min. I also removed the skin from the chicken before I brushed it. Next time, I will probably add garlic powder instead of minced garlic because it did burn on the chicken. Other than that, the flavor was similar to a Chinese style barbeque.

Steamed Chicken and Shitake Mushrooms

I wanted to try to recreate a dish my mom made for me when I was growing up. I knew it had various chicken parts with shitake mushrooms, but I didn’t know what else was in it. I also knew it was steamed, as were a lot of recipes she made.

Although my recipe was not exactly like what she made, I think it was a good try and tasted equally as delicious. Mine seemed to come out lighter and didn’t feel as heavy as the one my mom makes. It was good enough to make Gary go back for seconds!

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
6-7 fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
2 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces, white parts removed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions:
1. Cut up chicken to 1 inch wide strips. Remove stems from mushroom and slice. Clean and cut up scallions into 1 inch pieces. Place all into a bowl.

2. Combine the rest of the ingredients into the bowl, toss to coat together.

3. Transfer to a shallow dish with edges (liquid will form), place in steamer or wok with steamer rack in water. Cover and steam for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.

We also didn’t have a steamer, our wok was what we used for basically everything. With a wok and a rice cooker, we were set in the kitchen. With that said, this recipe is also being submitted to Joelen’s Tasty Tools event for the month of March. Be sure to check her site at the end of the month for other tasty recipes using the wok!

Shanghai Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Every other week, we buy bags of vegetables at the Chinese supermarket. We don’t usually buy the bunches. Instead, they have pre-packed bags that are already portioned out. It’s perfect for the 2 of us. Each bag has enough for 4 servings (not necessarily an actual serving) with leftovers to pack for work. I think there is about 2lbs in each pre-packed bag. We use half the bag if we do not want leftovers.

This week, we picked up some Shanghai bok choy. I’ve always made the veggies more or less the same way, however this time I had leftover mushrooms that I needed to use up, so I added that in. The mushrooms made this dish extra tasty!

Shanghai Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 lb Shanghai bok choy or baby bok choy
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce

Directions:
1. Slice of the ends, rinse and clean the bok choy. Clean and slice the mushrooms.

2. Add oil into a hot wok. Add the garlic, sauté for a few seconds. Add the bok choy to the wok. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce. Add the mushrooms and continue to stir well until vegetables are tender.

3. Transfer to plate and serve.

Chilean Sea Bass in Black Bean Garlic Sauce

Chalk it up for another tried and true recipe from my parents. This was one of my favorite fish dishes when I was growing up.

I asked my mom how this dish was made, and she told me how simple it was. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, “that’s it??” I’m glad I asked. This tasted just like how I ate it when I was growing up. Yes, we ate fish growing up! We loved it. I don’t think we were as picky eaters as other kids were when we were younger.

Black bean garlic sauce comes in a jar and has all kinds of good stuff in it, so it saves time when making lots of different dishes. I’ve used it in a spare rib tip recipe before, but since I don’t eat pork anymore, I haven’t made it in a while. But, here it is in a fish recipe.

Chilean Sea Bass in Black Bean Garlic Sauce
Adapted from: my parents

Ingredients:
1 lb sea bass steak (I had a little over a lb)
1-2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 inch piece of ginger
1 Tbsp. black bean garlic sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce

Directions:
1. Cut up the fish into chunks about 1-2 inches in size. Peel and cut the ginger into matchstick pieces.

2. Heat a wok with oil. Add the fish and ginger. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic sauce and soy sauce and mix well.

3. Cook for about 3-5 minutes while continue to toss. The fish is done when the middle of the largest piece is opaque. (I usually cut the biggest piece in half to see whether or not it’s done.)

Curry Chicken and Potatoes

Here is another recipe I have grown up with. I should really call these Curry Potatoes and Chicken. I usually use more potatoes than chicken in this recipe. Gary and I went out to enjoy the wonderful weather this past weekend. At around 6:30, we decided to heat somewhere to eat. I’ve been craving Malaysian food lately, and curry chicken sounded really good. We actually had about $15 cash in our pockets, and we debated (well not really) the pros and cons of going out to eat.

Pros: It would be a nice treat.
Cons: We didn’t have any money (I think the restaurant only takes cash). We would have to stop by a bank to get money. We would be paying a lot more for something we can make ourselves.

So, since we’re trying to save money and needed to go grocery shopping anyway, we decided to go to the grocery store  and get the week’s groceries.

Curry Chicken and Potatoes
Adapted from: my parents

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken thighs
4-6 potatoes peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon curry powder (more or less to taste)

Directions:
1. Cut the chicken into 1 inch strips. Peel potatoes. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch wide pieces.

2. Heat a wok or stir fry pan on medium high heat, add cooking oil and chicken. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until chicken has started to brown. Mix in soy sauce, salt and sugar. Add potatoes, mix well for 2-3 more minutes.

3. Add water to the wok, then add in curry powder into the water. Mix well. (If you add curry powder first, it will be bitter.) Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

4. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

I recommend using dark meat for this. If you use white meat, it may dry out. I’ve also used chicken wings cut in half.

I’m also submitting this recipe to this month’s Tasty Tools event hosted by Joelen’s Culinary Adventures. This month, she is highlighting the wok. Here’s my wok in action while making this dish.

Ground Turkey with Tomatoes

When Gary tries a recipe, he likes to make it a few times until he *thinks* he’s perfected it. It’s a good way for him to learn his way around the kitchen, but that means we have to keep this meal in rotation at least once a week until he thinks it’s perfect.

This recipe is loosely adapted from a beef and tomato recipe his dad makes. It’s one of the comfort foods he’s grown up with, so who am I to argue.

Ground Turkey and Tomatoes
Adapted from: Gary’s Dad
Made by Gary

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground turkey (you can also use ground beef or sliced beef)
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tomatoes, halved then sliced
cooking oil
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
water

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine ground turkey, rice wine, soy sauce, 1/2 Tbsp sugar and olive oil. Marinate for about 20 minutes. Cut the tomatoes in half, then slice into half inch wide pieces.

2. In a skillet, brown the turkey and set aside.

3. Heat a wok with a little oil. Add tomatoes and stir fry until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add oyster sauce and remaining sugar, stir, then add turkey. Stir until combined. Add a little water, cover and steam for 1-2 minutes.

4. Transfer to dish and serve. Serve with rice.

Chinese Five Spice Chicken Wings

Gary’s mom makes these awesome chicken wings that I’ve never been able to duplicate. It’s probably the most basic recipe, and she told me how to make it too. Maybe I should have listened when she was explaining it to me! In the meantime, while I wait for the recipe (again!), I will make it my way.

Instead of stir-frying the chicken wings like I usually do, I decided to pan fry in some oil. I was hoping to get the skin crispy like fried wings do, but without fully immersing the wings into the oil. I don’t think the skin was as crispy as I wanted, but it worked well. The love the flavor of the 5 spice powder. There were a few wings that were larger than the rest, so I cooked those longer. I usually slice them open to see if it’s fully cooked in the middle. We’re slightly paranoid (especially Gary) about undercooked chicken.

Chinese Five Spice Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
1.5 lb of chicken wings
1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
cooking oil

Directions:
1. Clean and pat the chicken wings dry. In a large bowl, combine the wings with all the ingredients except for the oil. Toss together to coat evenly.

2. On high heat, heat a pan with oil about 1/4 inch deep. Lower the heat to medium. Place the wings in a single layer in the pan and fry for about 5-7 minutes each side, or until juices run clear.

3. Transfer to a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.

Chinese New Year 2009!

Chinese New Year is always a big celebration in my family. It’s a time for all of us to get together and celebrate the upcoming year with good food and fun times.

“Fat Gow” fortune muffins. “Fat”  is what they call the blooming parts of the muffin and the word sounds like the word for wealth in Chinese so it symbolizes wealth.

My parents have always been the ones to throw the big celebrations. My brother said his friend called it the “Chinese Christmas”, but I think of it of more of like Thanksgiving because it’s all about the great food and family togetherness.

Whole goose and chicken

I used to love going to Chinatown to see the fireworks. I remember when the red paper leftover from the firecrackers would cover the streets and I wouldn’t be able to see my feet. It’s all changed now, since firecrackers aren’t allowed anymore.

Confetti that comes out of the poppers. They’re just not the same as real firecracker papers.

Decorations for sale 

We celebrate for 2 weeks. It’s been a week and a half. I think every year about this time, I gain about 5lbs from all the food! It’s all worth it though!

Fishcake and Vegetable Stirfry

Made by: Cathy

Gary’s parents often make fish cake patties. They’re really good and they use it in stirfry all the time. It’s much better than buying the ones in the market that is laden with MSG and all sorts of other stuff you don’t want in your body.

I’ve never made it myself, but when they do make it, I am lucky enough to get some. It’s already fried, so all I have to do is add the vegetables. Now if you can’t get it fresh like I can, it’s perfectly fine to use the packaged ones.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small onion, cut in half, then sliced
10 stems asparagus, ends cut off and cut into 1" pieces
5 white mushrooms, sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 cooked fishcake patty, sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
1. Pour oil into a hot wok or stirfry pan. Add garlic and stir for a couple of seconds.

2. Combine all the vegetables, stirfry for 5-10 minutes, or until onions are opaque. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.

3. Add in fishcake and stir for another 2 minutes. Stir until everything is incorporated.

4. Remove from heat and serve.

Ginger Scallion Lobster

Made by: Cathy

It's been one full year since we've been married. So for our anniversary, we had a special dinner of my own version of surf and turf.

So, we had a 10 course meal for our wedding, but I didn't get a bite after the 3rd course. One of the courses was ginger scallion lobster, another was steak. I didn't get to eat any of it. So to compensate I made a Chinese style lobster to enjoy.

This was my first time making lobster. I could have very well called my dad and asked him what was in it. I didn't want to bother him. I should be able to figure it out for myself. I googled it and came up with something on my own.

Ingredients:
2 one pound lobsters (I had 2 lobsters that weighed a total of 2.32lbs)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root
1 scallion (I didn't have any, so I left it out)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 heaping teaspoon black bean garlic sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with water
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
sea salt


Directions:
1. Peel and slice the ginger. Clean and cut off the end of the scallion. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Mix the cornstarch with a little bit of water. Set aside.
2. Clean and rinse the lobster. Separate the head from the tail. Cut the tail lengthwise, then cut each half of the tail into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the size of the lobster. Separate the claws from the head. Cut the head lengthwise, clean and gut the head. Grab the legs and separate from the shell. Discard the shells from the head.
3. In a hot wok, add the the ginger to the cooking oil. Mix for a few minutes, then remove the ginger from the wok and set aside.
4. Add the lobster to the wok. Add the black bean garlic sauce and scallions and sautee together.
5. Add the ginger back in, as well as the cornstarch mixture, rice wine and a dash of sea salt. Continue to saute for a few mintues until the meat starts to turn opaque. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is completely opaque and the shell is bright red.
6. Transfer to a bowl and enjoy.


Now, for my first time making this, it was pretty tasty. It tasted a lot like something they would serve at a Chinese restaurant.

What really creeped me out while I was making this was the fact that the arms were still moving when I was cooking it! Next time, I will probably boil it for a few minutes to make sure it's not alive anymore before I cook it.

Chinese Turnip Cake

Adapted from: Appetite for China
Made by: Cathy

Turnip cake (law bok gow) is one of my favorite things to get when I go for dim sum. My mom has always made a variation with taro, but never with the white turnip (daikon). My aunt always made it for Chinese New Year every year, but I never attempted to make it myself.

I also had a couple of bags of white rice flour from Gary's gluten free days. I needed a recipe to use up the flour, so this recipe was perfect.

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups rice flour
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup Chinese dried shrimp
3 Chinese sausages
1 large Chinese white turnip, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons Shao Hsing rice cooking wine
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.In a large heatproof bowl, combine rice flour and 2 cups of water. Mix well until the mixture is smooth and velvety, and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, soak shiitake mushrooms in about 1/2 cup of cold water for 30 minutes to soften. In a separate small bowl, do the same with the dried shrimp.

3. Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a small pot. Place Chinese sausage in the pot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Remove from heat and pat to dry. Peel off the skin of the sausage. Finely chop and set aside.

4. Once the shiitakes are done soaking, remove from water, squeeze out excess water, finely chop, and set aside. Remove shrimp from water, finely chop, and set aside.

5. Peel the turnip, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Then cut slices into strips about 2 inches long. Set aside.

6. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Add shrimp and mushrooms and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the cooking wine and soy sauce and stir until the shrimp and mushrooms are well-coated. Add the Chinese sausage, cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

7. In the same wok, toss in the turnip strips and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, adding a bit more cooking oil if necessary. Then pour in 1 cup water, cover the wok, and let the turnip steam for 10 to 15 minutes until just cooked. Drain the liquid from the turnips. Pour the hot turnips into the bowl with the rice flour mixture and mix thoroughly, until the turnips are well-incorporated into the mixture. Add the sausage, shrimp, mushrooms, and salt. Stir until evenly distributed. Pour the resulting mixture into a round 10-inch cake pan and smooth out the top.


8. Steaming: Bring water to boil in a large steamer big enough to fit the cake pan. (Unless your pan is part of a metal steamer set, in which case the pan should fit right in.) Carefully place the pan into the steamer, cover, reduce heat to medium-low. Steam 1 hour, or just until cake is set and is firm to the touch. Check the water level regularly and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. Carefully remove the pan from the steamer and allow to cool on a rack for about 1 hour.


When cooled, run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Invert to unmold and flip the cake right-side up onto a cutting board. You can serve the turnip cake as-is and sliced, or wrap the cake in plastic and refrigerate until ready to stir-fry.

To slice: Instead of cutting into wedges, slice the cake into rectangles 1 inch thick strips, then again into 3 inch long rectangles.

To stir-fry: Heat a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to barely cover the bottom and fry the cake in batches, about 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve immediately plain or with oyster sauce, soy sauce, or chili sauce.


I didn't have a 10" pan, so I steamed it in my 8x8 glass pan. I also steamed it in my wok. That's how I always steam my food. My mom has done the same thing for years.

Instead of oil, I sprayed the pan and pan fried that way. It tastes better after frying. I made this as one of the dishes for Thanksgiving this year. It was great. I tastes a lot like the ones we get at the restaurants. We like to dip it in oyster sauce.

Honey Molasses Chicken Wings

Made by: Cathy

This is a slight variation of the chicken wings my dad taught me to make. It's pretty easy even Gary can make it. It usually doesn't turn out the same every time. I try to change it up each time I make it. This is how I made it this time.

Sorry for the blurry picture. For some odd reason, I couldn't take any clear pictures of this dish!


Ingredients:
3 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lb chicken wings, tips removed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon sugar
half cup cold water

Directions:
1. In a hot wok, add the oil. Add garlic and saute for a few seconds.
2. Add in chicken wings. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add soy sauce, honey, molasses, and sugar. Continue to saute for a few minutes.
3. Add the water, cover and let cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Transfer to a plate along with the liquid.

If there is not liquid left, it's ok. It tastes even better when all the sugar is caramelized into the wings.

Watercress Soup

Made by: Cathy

Watercress soup has been one of my favorite soups growing up. It's fairly easy to make and is good for you. There are 2 ways to make this: simmer for hours with dates, meat, dried goji berries; or make a quick soup where the watercress is still actually edible. I like the latter, Gary likes the former. I was making it, so I did it my way.


Ingredients:
~3 quarts water
2 big bunches watercress
1 filet swai or catfish (you can also use fishballs, pork, chicken, or sliced beef)
salt
white pepper

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Reduce temperature to medium, add watercress to the pot. Cook for about 20-30 minutes.
2. Add the meat and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to a simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the desired tenderness of the watercress.

It's a great quick weeknight soup that can be made fairly quickly.

Easy Grilled Sesame Ginger Salmon

Recipe from: Lawry's
Made by: Cathy

This has got to be the easiest salmon recipe ever! I had some marinade in the fridge as well as some salmon we got from Trader Joe's. I went to the Lawry's site and used their recipe. I wouldn't call it a real recipe with only 2 ingredients though!


Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups Lawry's® Sesame Ginger Marinade With Mandarin Orange Juice
1-1/2 lbs. salmon fillets

Directions:
1. Pour 1 cup Lawry's® Sesame Ginger Marinade With Mandarin Orange Juice over salmon in a large non-aluminum baking dish or resealable plastic bag and turn to coat. Cover, or close bag, and marinate in refrigerator about 30 minutes. Remove salmon from Marinade, discarding Marinade.
2. Grill or broil salmon until fish flakes with a fork, brushing often with remaining marinade and turning once.

I used my George Foreman grill and grilled it for 3 minutes! That's right, 3 minutes! Record time for dinner on the table. Whoo hoo!