Tag Archives: Chinese

Dumplings

粽子 Sticky Rice Dumplings With Red Bean Paste Filling

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I’ve made zong zi before. This time, I decided to make some with red bean paste filling.

Main ingredients:

big bamboo leaves

sticky rice

red bean paste

kitchen twine

Bamboo leaves should be soaked in water overnight. Cut off the leaf stalk before wrapping. Sticky rice should also be soaked for hours, I usually soak them overnight.

Use bamboo leaves (1 or 2 ) to make a funnel shape at one end. Add into 1 or 2  tbsp rice, then add in red bean paste as many as you want. 🙂 Top with another 1 tbsp rice. Cover it with the rest bamboo leaf and wrap with twine.

Boil them in pressure cooker for 30mins.

Yum! 🙂

I also tried to use sago instead of sticky rice. If you use sago, better not cook them with pressure cooker, cos sago is much easier to cook.

But I like sticky rice more, sticky rice taste more chewy.

Chinese, Uncategorized

青团 Qing Tuan (Sweet Green Rice Ball)

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I love Qing Tuan. But I don’t know where to buy them in Singapore. I decided to make them by myself. Yet, another problem is I don’t know where to get 艾草 Ai Cao (Artemisia argyi, commonly known as silvery wormwood or Chinese mugwort). It’s one of the main ingredients to make the dough. So  I have to replace it with pandan, which is very common here in Singapore.

But the color is not as green as Ai Cao. I guess spinach would be a better choice.

Ingredients:

glutinous rice flour  180g

rice flour 20g

pandan leaves 20

water 1 cup

oil 10g

red bean paste 200g

1, In a big bowl, mix glutinous rice flour and rice flour.

2, Cut pandan leaves into small pieces. Put them into the blender with water and blend. Drain the water. Only keep 140g of the green water.

3, Heat green water in a pot. Turn off the heat when it’s about to boil.

4, Pour the hot green water into the flour mixture while stirring. Add in oil.

5, Knead it into a big dough ball.

6, Divide dough ball into smaller ones with each about 35g. Divide red bean paste into 10 smaller balls with 20g each.

7, Press the small dough balls into a thin and flat disc. Place the red bean paste into middle. And gently wrap it up.

8, Better put parchment paper under the Qing Tuan. And steam over hot water for 12 mins.

I really really love those green rice balls. Very delicious.

Potato

Di San Xian (地三鲜)

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Here comes one of my favorite dishes again. I found a type of Chinese green chili in the supermarket the other day. The specialty of this green chili is the skin is thinner than green pepper. It taste crispier, spicier and also a bit sweet. Good choice to make this dish.

1, Cut eggplant, potato and green chilies into small chunks.

2, Heat oil in the pan. More oil will be used in this dish cos potato and eggplant need to be deep fried.

3, Fry potato first, when they turn a bit golden on the edge, add in eggplant. Fry till eggplant turns brownish color.

4, Pour the extra oil out. Add in green chili and onion (optional).

5, Stir fry till aromatic. 

6, Add in 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar. Stir fry evenly.

7, Sprinkle in chopped garlic and stir fry a bit.

8, Season with salt. If you want to color to be brighter, you can also use starch solution.

Pork, Porridge

Pork Liver Porridge

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  1. Add rice and water into a pot. Bring to boil. Rice:water is 1:4.
  2. Skim the porridge and remove the foam.
  3. Transfer all rice and water into pressure cooker. (I really use pressure cooker a lot recently). Cook for 20 mins.
  4. While porridge is being cooked, prepare the pork liver.
  5. Cut liver into slices. Wash in water again and again till no more blood.
  6. Marinate pork liver with 1 tbsp cooking wine, 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper powder, 1 pinch sugar, ginger slices and 1 tbsp starch. Mix well and marinate for 15-20 mins.
  7. When porridge is down, Keep heating it. Add in pork liver. Keep stirring cos the porridge will be very thickened. Cook for 5-8 mins till pork liver is fully cooked.
  8. Season with salt.
  9. Serve with chopped spring onion.

My husband likes this type of porridge, and he likes my pork liver porridge very much.

Pork

Pork Intestine Stir-fry (溜肥肠 Liu Fei Chang)

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I know many people don’t eat pork intestines. But I like them.

Cleaning pork intestines may be a bit time consuming. Yet when you taste the dish after cooking, all the work is totally worth it.

  1. Remove the fat inside pork intestines. Just to make this dish a bit healthier.
  2. Put intestines in a big bowl, wash several times in water.
  3. Sprinkle salt and add in 2 tbsp vinegar. Wash and rub it for about 10 mins to remove all the dirt and the not-so-good smell.
  4. Wash clean in water again.
  5. Cut into rings.
  6. Add in light soy sauce to marinate them.
  7. Dust with starch.
  8. Deep fry till golden brown color with low-medium heat.
  9. Heat some oil, Add in chopped onion, garlic, and green chili. Stir fry till aromatic.
  10. Add in fried intestines and stir fry evenly.
  11. Add in 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp sugar. Mix well.
  12. Reduce sauce with medium heat.

Broccoli, mushroom

Braised Abalone with Mushrooms

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It’s a nice choice for Chinese New Year.

  1. Prepare abalones, wash them clean and dry with kitchen towel. Soak Chinese shiitake mushrooms in water (the dry type). Then remove the stem. Keep the mushroom water. Except shiitake mushroom, I also use another kind of mushroom. But only shiitake also works.
  2. Heat a pan. Add in 2 tsp oil. Sear 1 small chunk of pork belly. When the pork belly turns a bit golden brown. Add in 2 chopped garlic cloves. Stir fry till aromatic.
  3. Add in all the mushrooms. Fry a bit.
  4. 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, and 1 tbsp oyster sauce. Mix evenly with mushroom.
  5. Pour in mushroom water, about 1/2 1 cup and 1/2 cup stock. bring to boil with high heat.
  6. Transfer everything into pressure cooker. Also add in abalones.
  7. Cook 20 mins under high pressure.
  8. Cut broccoli into small chunks. Blanch in water for 3 mins.
  9. Arrange broccoli in the plate.
  10. Place abalone and mushrooms in the center.
  11. Pour the sauce into a sauce pan. Add in 1 tbsp sugar. heat it and stir.
  12. Add in starch water to thicken the sauce.
  13. Drizzle sauce over the abalones and mushrooms.

Uncategorized

Stuffed Lotus Root with Sticky Rice

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This is one of the dishes that I want to try for a long time. With a pressure cooker, it will be a lot easier.

  1. Prepare a lotus root. Mine is about 700g. Peel it. Cut two ends at about 3-5 cm. Don’t throw them away.
  2. Wash sticky rice and drain them. I used about 1/2 cup.
  3. Fill the lotus root hole with sticky rice. This step needs patience and time. You can use chopsticks to help you with it.
  4. After that, put the two cut-off ends back and fix them with toothpicks firmly.
  5. Put lotus root into pressure cooker. Add in enough water covers it or at least 3/4 of it.
  6. Cook under higher pressure for 30 mins.
  7. Cut 6 big red dates into slices and remove the seed. Also prepare 30g rock sugar cubes.
  8. After 30 mins. Add red dates and sugar into the pressure cook and cook under high pressure for another 20 mins.
  9. Take the lotus root out. Remove all the toothpicks. Let it cool down and cut into slices.
  10. The red date water is delicious. You can also use some to get thickened sauce. And glaze the dish.

Lotus root is very soft and so is sticky rice.

Soup, Uncategorized

White Fungus, Red Dates, Lotus Seeds & Longan Soup

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It’s a sweet soup, more like dessert.

Ingredients are simple:

White fungus soak in water till soft and tear them apart. Lotus seed washed in water. Split in halves and remove the green sprout if there is. Remove the seed of red dates and cut or tear into smaller pieces. Other ingredients are longan meat, goji berries and rock sugar.

Put everything into pressure cooker. (I really love my pressure cooker. It makes cooking a lot easier.) Add in 6 cups water. Cook under high pressure for 50 mins.

White fungus becomes as soft as jelly. Soup is thick.

A good desert for women especially.

Cake

Steamed Rice Cake (Bai Tang Gao 白糖糕)

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I followed this recipe:

Bai Tang Gao also known as Lun Jiao Gao (伦教糕) is a popular dessert in China, especially in Canton area.

In this recipe, the following ingredients are required:

Rice flour    150g

water 300ml (2tbsp water to mix with dry yeast)

90g sugar (1 tsp sugar to mix with dry yeast)

3/4 tsp  yeast

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1, Add sugar into a sauce pan. Pour into 150 ml water. Turn to low heat and stir at the same time till all the sugar dissolves.

2, Add rice flour with the rest 150 ml water. Stir till no lumps.

3, Add rice flour water into sugar water. Turn to low heat and stir till fully mixed. Then turn off the heat and let it cool down.

4, In a small bowl, mix 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp water and 3/4 dry yeast. Let it rest to foam up.

5, When rice flour water is completely cool and yeast foams up. Add yeast water into rice flour water. Also add in baking powder and oil. Mix well.

6. Put it in a warm place, cover it with plastic wrap and towel. Let it ferment for 5 hrs. Original recipe needs 6 hrs. But it is very hot here in Singapore. So I think 5 hrs should be long enough.

7. Brush oil to steaming pan. Pour everything into it. Steam over medium heat for 20-25 mins. Check with toothpick.

This is how it looks after steaming:

Cool down and cut into slices.

 

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.

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!