All posts by chinesetuition88

Chicken, mushroom

Chicken & Shiitake Mushroom Stew (香菇炖鸡）

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Usually in China, Chicken stew is made from a whole chicken. But I know for sure that my husband and I cannot finish a whole chicken stew. So I just used a whole boneless chicken leg instead.

  1. Soak dry 5 or 6 shiitake mushroom in 2 cups water. (Rinse under water first to remove all the dirt). Keep the shiitake water. Remove the stem and cut into 4 halves.
  2. Cut chicken into one-bite size.
  3. Heat a pan. Since there is fat in chicken, so actually, no need to add any oil. Sear the chicken to let the fat out.
  4. When chicken turns white, add in 2 tsp cooking wine. Stir fry till chicken got  dry again.
  5. Add in 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce and 1/2 1 tsp sugar (you can adjust it according to your preference). Stir fry to let chicken be coated with sauce.
  6. Add in shiitake, stir fry for about 2 mins.
  7. Pour in shiitake water covers all ingredients. Add in spices (ginger, star anise, bay leaf), I also added in 1 chopped carrot.
  8. Lid on. Simmer with low heat for 20-30 mins to make sure chicken is completely cooked.
  9. Lid off and reduce sauce with high heat.

Yum!

Pork, Ribs, Soup, tofu

Braised Pork & Rib Soup Bento

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The rule of my husband’s bento: there must be at least 1 meat dish.

This time, I tried pork.

  1. Prepare soup. Cos soup is time-consuming. I can let the soup on the stove while preparing other dishes. Wash ribs. Put them in a pot and add in enough water. Bring to boil. Skim the soup to remove all the dirt. Simmer for 30 mins. Add in carrot and corn. And simmer for another 20-30 mins.
  2. Pork belly in the pot. Enough water in and bring to boil. Take the pork belly out and wash clean. Cut into small chunks. Heat a pan. Add in a little oil. Sear the pork belly till brownish. Add in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. Stir fry evenly. Add in enough hot water, also bay leaves and star anise. Lid on and simmer for about 20 mins. Lid off and reduce the sauce with high heat,
  3. I also cooked tofu & chicken pancake. 1/4 chicken breast (diced). 1/4 carrot (diced). Heat a pan. Add in 2 tsp oil, Stir fry chicken and carrot till chicken turns white in color. 100g silk tofu in the bowl. Mash it with a fork. Add in the fried chicken and carrot. Also add in some chopped green onion, 2 tbsp flour. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix well. Heat pan again. Brush it with oil. Scoop batter with a spoon and drop into pan to fry till both sides turn golden brown.

Pork is a perfect match with rice.

Soup is good. Corn adds sweet taste to it.

Oh, I also add in some fried bitter gourd rings. My husband finished everything.

Pork, Ribs, Uncategorized

Sweet & Sour Ribs （糖醋排骨）

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  1. Wash ribs in water. Put all the ribs in a deep pot. Add in enough water. Bring it to boil for 3-5 mins. Take out all the ribs and rinse under water.
  2. Heat a pan with a little oil. Stir fry drained ribs till they turn a bit brownish.
  3. Add in ginger slices and green onion. Stir fry till aromatic.
  4. Drizzle in 1 tbsp cooking wine. Stir fry till ribs dry again.
  5. Prepare sauce: 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp vinegar, 3 Tbsp rock sugar (you can reduce or add more sugar according to your taste). Pour sauce into the pan.
  6. Stir fry to let the ribs be coated with sauce.
  7. Pour in enough hot water can cover all the ingredients. Turn to low heat and simmer for 30-40 mins.
  8. Lid off. Turn to high heat and reduce the sauce.
  9. When sauce is about to dry, spread in white sesame. Quickly stir fry evenly.
  10. Garnish with chopped spring onion.

https://flic.kr/p/2gEfmaB

I know for sure that my husband will love it.

https://flic.kr/p/2gEeDuc

I prepared his bento with this delicious ribs. And the sauce made rice very tasty too.

My husband loved them so so much!

Chinese, Dumplings

Zong Zi Again!

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There are still some bamboo leaves left in my fridge since last time I made zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Last Wednesday was my resting day. No work, no need to go out. So I decided to use some to make Zongzi. And also because I really missed zongzi, could’t wait to have some.

This time, I only used sticky rice, no red bean. And for the filling, I went with the simplest one – red dates.

Only when I went to college in Fujian did I know that not all the people in China have simple zongzi with only sticky rice and red date inside. People in Fujian have the meat zongzi, with pork, mushroom, peanut, beans inside. And according to the different color, they call the meat ones Hongzong (red zongzi), and our simple ones Baizong (white zongzi).

After trying so many types of zongzi, simple white zongzi are the ones I miss most. And that’s why I decided to only make Baizong this time.

  1. Bamboo leave and sticky rice should be soaked in water for overnight.
  2. Prepare red dates, either dry ones or sweet preserved ones are OK. Cut off the  bamboo leaves’ stalk before wrapping.
  3. Use bamboo leaf to make a funnel shape. some rice first, then red date, and rice at last. Try to cover and wrap with the rest of leaf. And tie it with kitchen twine. Again I don’t care about zongzi’s shape. As long as it is tightly tied, it is a good zongzi to me. 🙂
  4. Boil for 3 hours.

If you make too many at a time like me, Please boil them before store them in freezer.

Oh~~~~I love them.

If you think they taste plain, you can even dip them in sugar first. I know some people in China have that customs.

chocolate, Cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Long time no baking.

Today, my student suddenly cancelled his lesson, so I have another day off. I decided to make some chocolate cookies.

Ingredients:

butter 1/2 cup (I only have salted butter in the fridge. You can use unsalted butter too. Just remember to add in 1/2 tsp salt in the dough)

white sugar 1/2 cup

brown sugar 1/2 cup

egg 1

vanilla 1 tsp

flour  1 & 1/4  cup

baking soda 1/2 tsp

chocolate chips  1 & 1/2 cup

walnut 1 cup (chopped and toasted. You can preheat oven to 150 degree C, and toast for about 10-15 mins. Just take them out when you can smell the aroma.)

 

  1. Cream butter with sugar (whit and brown) till light.
  2. Beat in egg.
  3. Add in vanilla. Give it a good stir.
  4. Sieve in flour and baking soda. Combine till just blended.
  5. Add in chocolate chips and walnut. Stir well.
  6. Scoop 1 tbsp dough and make a dough ball. Place them on the tray. And put into fridge for about 40 mins.
  7. Preheat oven to 170 Degree C, and bake for 15-18 mins.

https://flic.kr/p/2gBjHhR

Delicious and well-shaped.

Chicken, egg

Soy Sauce Chicken & Tamago Yaki Bento

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Actually I cooked half soy sauce chicken. It’s quite simple and can be done by rice cooker.

  1. Put the half chicken (approx. 300-400g) in a big bowl. Sprinkle a little oil and light soy sauce. Massage the chicken to let the oil and soy sauce evenly spread. Let it marinate for 30 mins.
  2. Brush oil to the bottom of rice cooker. Put in 3 or 4 ginger slices, 1 or 2 stalk of green onion. Chicken on ginger and green onion.
  3. Pour in 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup light soy sauce, 2 tsp dark soy sauce, and 2 tsp sugar.
  4. Cover the lid, press cooking button. When it’s done, flip the chicken over. Cover the lid and press button again.
  5. When it’s done again, don’t open the lid immediately. Let it be tightly closed for another 10 mins. After that, it’s ready to serve.

For tamago yaki:

Beat 2 eggs in a bowl. Add in 1 tsp milk and 1 pinch salt. Blend well.

Heat a pan (I used the normal round shape pan not the square type). Brush a little oil. Pour 1/3 egg in. Gently stir with chopsticks. Push all the egg to one side of the pan. Pour in a little more egg. When it starts to solidify, Roll the egg from the previous egg side to the other. Repeat the step till finish all the egg.

Cool down and cut into slices.

To make my husband eat more vegetables, I added in some broccoli, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes.

He loved it and finished them all.

Chicken, mushroom

Teriyaki Chicken with Pan-Seared Portobello Mushroom

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Teriyaki Chicken:

1. Prepare a whole boneless chicken leg. Sprinkle a little salt and black pepper.

2. Use the back of knife to hit chicken a bit.

3. Heat a pan on stove. When the pan is hot, put the chicken inside with skin side down. Flip over when the skin turns golden brown. Fry the other side till brown, too.

4. If there is much oil after sear, you can pour the oil out.

5. Add in 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tablespoon honey. Let the chicken be coated with sauce.

6. Pour in hot water just enough to cover the chicken. Cover the lid and simmer for a while.

7. Remove the lid. Turn to high heat to reduce the sauce.

Portobello Mushroom:

Remove the Portobello mushroom’s stem first and wash clean.

1. Heat a pan. Cut in a small cube of butter.

2. When butter melts, add the mushroom in with cap side down. Sear for 3 mins. If your mushroom is really really big, probably you will need 5 mins. Keep the heat low, don’t burn the mushroom.

3. Add 1 drop of soy sauce onto the stem hole of each mushroom.

4. Flip the mushroom over, sear the other side for 3 mins with the lid on.

5. A lot of juice will come out. Use a spatula, and press the mushroom gently to squeeze the juice out.

6. Flip over and squeeze the other side. Keep cooking till the juice evaporates.

 

Fish, salmon

Lemon Butter Sauce Salmon

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It’s actually very simple to make.

  1. Cut salmon fillet into smaller strips.
  2. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Heat a pan. Cut in 2 Tbsp butter.
  4. When butter melts, place salmon in with skin side down. Fry for 2-3 mins.
  5. Flip over and fry the other side for 2-3 mins.
  6. Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice. Add in 2 tbsp water and simmer for 2 mins.
  7. Add in 3 tbsp milk or 2 tbsp cream, simmer for another 1 more min.
  8. Dish the salmon out. Keep heating the sauce till reduced.

Salmon in the plate and sauce over it.

The sauce also goes well with pasta. So I made it with spaghetti for my husband’s bento.

Sided with oven roasted vegetables, which is in my previous blog.

https://foodrecipe33.com/2019/07/10/oven-roasted-vegetables/

mushroom, Potato, Vegetables

Oven Roasted Vegetables

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I roasted potato, cauliflower, carrot by oven before. I always wanted to try roasting different kinds of vegetables at one time. And I did it today.

  1. Preheat oven to  200 Degree C.
  2. Prepare vegetables. I chose potato, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, onion, baby corn, mushroom and cherry tomatoes.
  3. Wash them and cut. For potato, carrot, cauliflower and broccoli, they may need longer time to be cooked. So they must be in smaller size. While onion, baby corn, mushroom and cherry tomatoes. They should be in larger size.
  4. Cover the baking try with aluminum foil. Place vegetables over it. Drizzle olive oil. Sprinkle salt and black pepper. I also spread some dried herbs. And add 2 cloves of garlic. Gently toss a bit.

Into the oven and bake for 10 mins.

Flip them over. and Lower heat to 180 Degree C. Bake for another 10-15 mins.

Very nice. You can have various kinds of vegetables at one time.

And I put them in my husband’s bento box. One thing I love about bento is that he can’t be picky about the food. If I prepare vegetable for him. He has to finish it.

Beef, Uncategorized

Red Wine Oxtail Stew

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I actually wrote a blog about red wine oxtail stew. But somehow it disappeared. Today, I cooked it again. So I rewrote it.

  1. Prepare oxtail. I used about 600g, 4 pieces. Place them in a big bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Dust them with flour. Just let them be coated with a thin flour layer is enough.
  2. Heat a pan. Add in oil. Fry oxtail with patience till each side turns beautifully golden brown. Transfer them into a deep pot.
  3. Prepare vegetables. I used 2 carrots (chopped into small chunks), 1 onion (diced), 1/4 head of cabbage (chopped into medium slices), and 3 chopped cloves of garlic.
  4. Use the same pan (the one used to fry oxtail) to fry vegetables. Fry for, let’s say 2 mins, or till they become slightly soft. Add in 2 tbsp flour, later while slow cooking, it will thicken the soup. Stir fry evenly.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Add in 2 tbsp tomato paste. Stir evenly and pour into 1/2 cup wine. Boil a bit to let the alcohol evaporate.
  7. Transfer everything into the deep pot. Add in 2 bay leaves, 1 star anise. Turn to high heat to boil it. Then turn to low heat and slow cook for 3 hours. Try to have a taste to see if it needs seasoning again before serving.

I also prepare mashed potato to be served with stew. Prepare 2 medium potatoes, wash, peel and chop them. Boil till fully cooked. Mash them with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Also add in 1 tbsp butter. Mix them well.

Butter potato paste as the base, place oxtail stew over it.

https://flic.kr/p/2gu659F

I also saved some to make my hubby’s bento.

He really loved the hot buttery mashed potato and the oxtail stew. He kept saying “tai had chi le” means “very delicious”. 🙂