Simple Fried Rice

The dish that I get asked most about is definitely fried rice.  This is a dish every Asian grew up with and everyone has their own version.  It's simple home-cooking that originated as a leftover dish.  With that said, I really just wanted to give the most basic fried rice recipe here and emphasize that you can add almost anything you want to this recipe.  There are only three main ingredients to fried rice and the rest is up to your imagination and taste, or as my Mommie did: anything that was leftover from the night before.  It could be chicken, shrimp, tofu, curry, beef, even hot dogs, or ham.  Just like how you can top pizza with anything you like, you can add any protein, veggies, or seasoning to your fried rice.  See this recipe as the primer coat of paint that you use as a foundation to add your own color and flavors upon.  There are also several ways to make fried rice and there's not right or wrong.  This is MY way because this is how I like it. =)

Ingredients:

2 Cups   Day-Old Cold Rice 

(It's not the end of the world if its not "day-old" rice.  You can use freshly cooked hot rice, but what tends to happen is a mushier fried rice.  Leftover rice for a day or longer in the fridge tends to dry out thus not as pleasant to eat, unless cooked again that's how the whole idea of "frying" leftover rice came about.) 

2 Eggs   Beaten

2 Stalks Chopped Green Onion

Salt and White Pepper Powder (Fresh ground black pepper could be used in place of the white pepper)

Cooking oil

Instructions:

Heat about half a tablespoon of cooking oil in a wok or regular frying pan over medium-high heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with the oil and add the beaten eggs and a pinch of salt.  Scramble the eggs, remove from pan and set aside.  ***Some people like to stir fry the rice first and add the beaten eggs directly to the pan of rice so that the eggs slightly stick to the rice.*** Turn the heat up to high, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan, then add the rice.  Immediately start breaking up the rice, if there are any clumps, and stir constantly in the pan.  You can flip it if you're feeling confident and fancy!  When the rice is thoroughly heated through, add the green onion then season with salt and pepper.  ***This is the point when you can add any additional ingredients; make sure that any meat or veggies you add are already cooked, do not add raw ingredients!*** Add the scrambled eggs back into the pan and stir to break up the eggs into smaller pieces.  Remove from pan and serve. 

Here's a video to further illustrate the instructions...

Vegan Chili

A sure crowd pleaser and decievingly simple to make!  Don't be scared off by the list of ingredients.  If you use a slow cooker, there are only three simple steps: 1. wash & chop veggies 2. open cans 3. throw everything in the slow cooker and leave to cook for 2-3 hours.  Voila!  Beautiful, delicious, and nutricious chili!  I was a bit unsure because this is my first attempt to make a veggie chili, but I'm pretty stoked by the outcome =D  I read about a dozen recipes and came up with this..

All of the following ingredients can be omitted or added depending on your own personal taste preference, you're the cook! =)

Ingredients:
1   Tablespoon Cooking oil
2   Carrots, diced
1   Onion, diced
3   Cloves of garlic, minced
2   Red Bell Peppers, diced
1   Green Bell Pepper, diced
1   Anaheim Chili, diced
2   Jalapeno Chilis, take the seeds out with latex gloves or with plastic wrap to avoid the ultimate "finger sting", dice and remember to wash everything (the knife, your hands, and cutting board).
2   Cups of Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped
1   Zucchini or Italian Squash, diced
1   15oz Can of Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, drained (you can opt to use fresh corn if its in season)
1   15oz Can of Black Beans, drained
1   15oz Can of Pinto Beans, drained
(you can use regular beans by soaking and cooking the beans beforehand)
1   28oz Can of Peeled Tomatoes (No Salt Added)
(you can use fresh Roma tomatoes. Cut crosses at the bottom of the tomatoes, boil a pot of salted water and blanche the tomatoes then drain and put tomatoes in an ice bath, the skins should come off easily after that.  Peel and roughly chop.)
2-4 Cups of Vegetable stock
1   Tablespoon of Chili Powder
1   Tablespoon of Cumin
1   Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
2   Tablespoons of Dried Basil
2   Tablespoons of Dried Oregeno
***Secret Weapon: 1 Teaspoon of 5 Spice Powder***
Salt and pepper to taste
When serving, top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro or chives, shredded cheddar cheese and diced avocado.
(I added a few pieces of beef sausage for the meat eaters and a poached egg for breakfast)

Instructions:
When using a slow cooker...just follow the steps outlined in the intro above.

When using a pot...heat on the stove over medium high and add cooking oil.  Add the carrots, onion, and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes then add the pepper and chilis.  Cook for another few minutes then add the mushrooms and zucchini.  Cook for another few minutes then add the corn and beans and tomatoes followed by all the seasoning.  Stir and cook for a few minutes then add the vegetable stock until it covers all the veggies by over an inch.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer, cover simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

When using a Thermal Insulated Cooking Pot (a.k.a. the "Magic Cooker")...follow all the same above instruction when using a pot except you use the "Magic Cooker" pot and simmer only 10 minutes on the stove then take the pot and place in "Magic Cooker", seal and forget about it for 3 hours.  I chose to use a "Magic Cooker" and it is my preference for slow cooking because it doesn't need any electricity and the food is essentially cooking by its own heat, genius!

Scrambled Tomatoes & Eggs with Scallions

This is another simple recipe that most Chinese households know.  Eggs are not just for baking or breakfast, this savory dish uses eggs as one of the main ingredients and can be enjoyed anytime of the day accompanied with some rice.  

Three ingredients makes this whole dish: 

2 Stalks of scallions (green onion) chopped

2 Roma tomatoes chopped (I like Roma tomatoes because they have less seeds and tend to be a little sweeter, but you can use any other tomato you have in the fridge) 

2 Eggs beaten 

*serves 2

Put about 1 teaspoon of cooking oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  When you see a slight smoke and the oil is gliding easily across the pan, add the beaten eggs.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt and scramble the eggs then remove from pan.

Add another teaspoon of cooking oil to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes.  Cook the tomatoes for a couple minutes then season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar (only add the sugar if the tomatoes are too sour, the sugar rounds out the flavor).  

Add the green onions and cook for another minute, then add the eggs back into the pan and break up the eggs further tossing with the tomatoes.  

Remove from pan and enjoy with some rice!

Breakfast of Champions Asian Style: Kabocha Porridge with Sesame Oil Fried Eggs

I LOVE porridge, risotto, grits, anything in that comforting soupy realm is all good.  Growing up in a Taiwanese household, we didn't eat egg mcmuffins, waffles, or pancakes for breakfast.  We ate porridge.  It is so comforting to me to eat a warm bowl of porridge with some eggs or veggies on the side during the cold winter mornings.  Gives me the strength to face the day, well at least until lunch. ><

So this is my favorite winter time breakfast: a simple Kabocha Squash (Japanese winter squash) porridge with a side of pan fried eggs over medium.











There are two hidden ingredients that makes this meal so delish: sesame oil and white pepper.

Any self-respecting cook of Asian cuisine should have these two items in their pantry at all times.

Sesame oil has a very strong rich flavor that just resonnates "Asia" so be careful...a little goes a long way!

White pepper powder gives just enough heat and slight punch with almost a curry-like flavor as well.  It's warming and not as invasive or sharp as cracked black pepper.


TIP: get the white peppercorns instead of the powder.  Freshly cracked white peppercorns are so much more potent so you need a lot less than the packaged powder.








Quick note about the following recipes: all the ingredient measurements are just approximates to taste and preference.

Kabocha Porridge
1 cup of raw rice cooked in 3 cups of chicken stock (about 1 hour)
OR
1 cup of cooked (day old) rice cooked in 2 cups of chicken stock over medium low heat saucepan for about 10-15 minutes
* Cooking time is dependent on your preferred consistency of the porridge.  The longer you cook it, the more the rice breaks down in the porridge and the thicker it gets.

When the porridge is about 5 minutes to preferred consistency, cut  the Kabocha into 1 inch bite size pieces and drop into porridge to cook the remaining 5 minutes.
* To see if Kabocha is cooked through take a toothpick or chopstick and stick it through a piece of the squash.  If it goes through easily then it's done.

Pinch of salt and crack of white pepper to taste.

Fried Eggs in Sesame Oil
Add about a teaspoon of cooking oil and a half teaspoon of sesame oil to a nonstick pan over medium high heat.  When you see a little smoke coming off the pan and the oils move easily across the pan, crack 1 or 2 eggs into the pan.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and when you see a slight brown edge forming, flip the egg(s) over with a spatula.  Cook for another minute, turn off the heat, and remove eggs from the pan.  Sprinkle more salt to taste.

If you like egg yolks more runny then only cook the eggs for a 15-30 seconds after the flip.  The idea behind a good fried egg is to get that brown crisp edge.

Brussel Sprouts Braised with Soy Sauce

Brussel sprouts are a very new veggie to me. Before I came to the States few years ago, I was completely unfamiliar with these tiny cabbage looking "sprouts." Over the years I've learned to enjoy this nutrients-packed vegetable in different ways. The recipe I am showing today was created with my Asian instinct - soy sauce.

I wanted to use soy sauce because Brussel sprouts seem to me as more difficult to season, especially I like keep them in halves and enjoy the symmetrical patter on their cut sides. Plus, soy sauce goes well with everything. (Like cheese!)



Ingredients:

handful of Brussel sprouts. Stem and outer leaves removed and cleaned.
half tablespoon of oil
one tablespoon of soy sauce
one teaspoon of sugar
two tablespoon of water

Heat the pan with oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, stir in Brussel sprouts in the pan and coat all halves with oil. When the temperature in the pan returns high, add soy sauce and sugar and mix well. Add water and cover the pan with a lid for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to make excess liquid evaporates.
Ready to serve!

Toasted pine nuts work great here too.

Taiwanese Burrito (aka Taiwanese Spring Rolls)

I know I've grossly neglected this blog to the point of abandonment, but I have returned with one of my favorite family dishes that can't be found in any restaurant in So Cal, at least to my knowledge and believe me, I've searched.  My family would make these Taiwanese burritos a few times a year during special occasions or family gatherings because it's really more fun to eat in a group with everyone taking turns at the ingredients bar.  All of us would try and see who can make the biggest burrito without breaking the delicate wrap, Grandpa is the champ!  It's super healthy and quite simple, but it does take a bit of work and knife skills.  Just like a burrito or lasagna, this is a dish that can be altered and you can make many different versions.  This is the basic veggie version, but feel free to add tofu, various meats, or other veggies to the mix.

Ingredients:

* Some of the Asian specific ingredients can be found at a specialty market, the ethnic section of your local market, or a 99 Ranch supermarket

Spring roll wrappers, don't need to be cooked, but they do dry out easily, so take them out of the packaging at the last minute and cover with a clean damp kitchen towel or wet paper towel.

Sweet chili sauce is the glue that holds the wrap together and tastes sweeter than spicy but adds just the right amount of tang and kick!

Egg &amp; Beancurd: This is where the work starts to happen, each item needs to be prepared and finely sliced.  Beat a couple eggs and poor it in a nonstick pan with a little cooking oil over medium heat.  Let the egg mixture cook on one side and become a sheet, similar to an omelette, flip it over carefully and let the other side cook.  Add salt and pepper remove from heat and slice into strips.  Now let's talk about beancurd.  What is it? It's an Asian product, specifically Chinese/Taiwanese and is basically a tofu cake made from soy beans.  I often use it as a meat substitute, it's a great source of protein with a mild flavor, and can be used in a variety of ways.  For this particular dish, you slice the beancurd into strips and blanche in boiling water for a few minutes, drain, and stir fry in a non stick pan with a little cooking oil, salt, and pepper.  

Pickled radish: very salty and you can buy already prepared, but I like to chop even finer and toast slightly in a pan.  One of my friends call them little crunchy flavor bombs!

Peanut powder: I'd choose to have this over peanut butter any day and its bascially the same ingredients just in a different texture.  Finely ground roasted peanuts tossed with sugar.  It's a must! Adds just the right amount of a little sweetness and it helps to absorb the moisture from the veggies so that the spring roll wrapper doesn't break as easily.

Celery, carrots, and cilantro: shredded and slices extra fine

Shredded cabbage, the main veggie.  I like to julianne everything myself with a knife, I like that texture better and each veggie can still hold it's own character.  If you shred it with a grater, I feel that everything becomes too mushy.

Snow peas: clean, trim, and definitely chop into strips by hand

Stir fry all the veggies together in a large wok or pan, the veggies will cook down so you might have to do separate batches

Instructions:

Pretty much all the ingredient prep is most of the work, after you finish prepping all the ingredients, lay it all out on the kitchen table with the wrappers and each person can build their own burrito.  There are some basic guidelines, always start with the dry ingredients and end with the sweet chili sauce.  This way the dry ingredients absorb all the veggie juices and the wrappers will break more easily when wet.  See how big you can build your burrito without it breaking, though if it does break, just eat with a fork, no need to panic =)  Here's how I do it, step by step...

Bite into that!