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The Braised Napa Cabbage and Mushrooms, or more commonly known as “白菜滷” in Chinese word, is a Taiwanese style vegetable stew. I learned this dish from my Taiwanese coworker as she always likes to cook it. I think it is so much different to our style of cooking and I decided to give it a try. The main ingredient of the dish is the napa cabbage. You can add other ingredients to the pot, some common ones are carrots and all sorts of mushrooms. You can also add pork strips for a more complete pot dish to your meal, or opt out for a vegetarian style.

Eric did not get used to eat this dish the first time when I cooked it, because he didn’t like the cabbage being cooked to that soft texture. But after a couple of tryouts and changes to the recipe, now we enjoy this dish very much. Sometimes we will cook a pot and just goes with white rice, that’s how good it is. I used some dried shrimps and lots of garlic to sauteed the vegetables, that will add more flavors and also a nice fragrant to the dish. Seasoning is also very important to create a tasty sweet broth. Do not overcook the napa or it will turn out too mushy, so be watchful of the time and heat.

Ingredients:

1 1-11/2lb whole Napa Cabbage
1 handful dried shrimps (soaked in water to soft, coarsely chopped)
1tbsp  + 1 tbsp minced garlic
3 stalks scallions (cut into 2″ slices)
3 carrots (cut horizontally into 2″ slices)
3 Korean King Oyster Mushrooms “杏鲍菇” (cut into slices)
2 pack Golden Needle Mushrooms “金针菇” (trimmed the bottom part, rinse)
1 cup water

For the seasoning:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
Few dashes salt and pepper

Cooking Method:

1. To prepare the Napa Cabbage, cut and separate the leaves from the stems, chopped leaves and stems into 1 1/2 – 2″ big pieces, divide them into separate bowl. Cut the carrots, oyster mushroom into smaller slices. Prepare the others as above.
2. Heat up a wok or pot on medium high heat with 2 tbsp oil, add 1 tbsp minced garlic and stir fry till slight golden, follow by dried shrimps and scallions, stir fry till fragrant.
3. Add in the cabbage stems and carrots, stir fry and combine, cover with lit for about 2-3 minutes till slightly soft, stir or sightly toss occasionally to prevent burn.
4. Add in the rest of cabbage leaves to the pot, combine and cover for another 2 minutes till slightly reduce.
5. Add in 1 cup of water or till the half level of the vegetables, add in mushrooms, bring to boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes till cabbage is soft but not mushy.
6. Add in seasoning, combine and bring to boil.
7. Optional: Heat up a saucepan on medium high with some oil, add in remaining minced garlic, stir fry till golden. Top the fried garlic oil on Napa cabbage when serving.

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Cabbage is a popular leafy green vegetable that can be easily found in the food market. I like cabbage because of its natural sugariness and of course it has to be cooked or boiled in order to tenderize the leaves to release the sugar. Cabbage is broadly consumed raw but I am not so into eating it in this way except for coleslaw or maybe in salad occasionally. This is because I don’t like the sharp or bitterness taste that sometimes present in the cabbage.

Mostly I like to use cabbage to make soup but today I’ve cooked it with dried shrimps. Dried shrimps are commonly used in Chinese cuisine for its extraordinary flavor that covers the bitterness, saltiness, sourness, sweetness and savoriness (or so-called “fifth taste”). That’s the reason I used it to stir fry with cabbage to make an easy and pleasant homey dish. I loved it and you should try it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cabbage (chopped)
3-4 garlic cloves (minced finely)
2 tbsp dried shrimp (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, drained and set aside)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp water

Cooking method:

1. Heat up the pan or work with 2 tbsp oil. Sauté the minced garlic until fragrant.
2. Add in the dried shrimps and do a few quick stir until you smell the aroma of the dried shrimps.
3. Followed by the cabbage and stir well until the cabbage is cooked (not overcooking it).
4. Add in the oyster sauce and water and do a few stir.
5. Dish up and serve.

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It had been a fun and busy long weekend filled with luncheons, dinners and friend gatherings for the celebration of Tiger Year. On the other hand, I had a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner with my lovely boyfriend. Everything was just great. Here once again, I wish everyone a good start in the Chinese New Year and wish all the couples a happily ever after (有情人總成眷屬).

On the first day of Chinese New Year, I’ve prepared the well known vegetarian dish so called the Buddha’s Delight or lo han jai (羅漢齋). It is traditionally consumed by the  Buddhist monks who are vegetarians. However this dish has grown popularity over the years and now can be found in most Chinese restaurants for serving. For Buddhists who are not solely vegetarians will also practice vegetarians on the first and fifteenth day of the month based on the lunar calendar. Therefore this vegetarian dish has become more and more popular and eventually become a traditional dish for the Chinese New Year.

Lo han jai consists of various vegetables,  mainly the napa (Chinese cabbage), mushroom, carrot, bean curd sticks (圓支腐竹), mung bean vermicelli (粉絲), golden needles (金針菇) and black wood ear (黑木耳). You can also add in other ingredients based on your preference such as water chestnut, baby corn and snow peas. I specially added fat choy or black moss seaweed (髮菜) into the dish for a good luck signification for the Chinese New Year. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 bean curd sticks (soaked in water till soft, cut into 2″ pieces)
2 handful of mung bean vermicelli (soaked in water till soft)
8 mushrooms (soaked in water till soft, cut into halves)
5-6 pieces of napa cabbage leaves (cut into 1″ pieces)
1 carrot (cut into slices)
8 black wood ears (soaked in water till soft, remove the harden areas, cut into smaller pieces)
12 snow peas
12 button mushrooms (cut into halves)
8 baby corns
1 pack golden needles (remove the bottom part)
1/4 cup fat choy (soaked in water till soft)
3 pcs fermented red bean curd “南乳” (mashed into paste)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup water

For the seasoning:
2 tbsp shaoxing wine (紹興酒)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 cup water

Serve size: 4 -6 people.

Cooking Method:

1. Soak all the dried ingredients in a separate bowl, including the bean curd sticks, mung bean vermicelli, black mushrooms, black wood ears and fat choy. Remove and drain. Cut into smaller pieces. Prepare the other ingredient, rinse, wash and cut into smaller pieces if desired.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok over medium. Stir fry minced garlic and fermented red bean curd till fragrant. Add in 2 tbsp water to prevent from drying out.
3. Add in the black mushrooms and bean curd sticks. Add the shaoxing wine and stir fry till fragrant.
4. Pour in water and bring to boil. Add in seasoning and all other ingredients. Cook and stir fry on high heat till water reduced to half, fairly dry. Serve hot.

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Chinese dumpling or Jiaozi (餃子) is one of the traditional yet popular Chinese dishes prepared during the festive season of Chinese New Year. Maybe not for the Malaysians, but for Chinese (especially from Northern part of China) or Taiwanese, this dish is usually served during the Chinese New Year Eve or some other family get together occasions. This is because the dumpling is shaped like a yuan bao (元寶), a traditional money used during the Ming Dynasty, that means good luck, wealth and prosperity.

Being born and raised in Malaysia, I never have dumplings really. Until I attended  university in the United States, my Chinese and Taiwanese friends would make these delicate dumplings for me. And I must say once you’ve tried it you will love it. This Chinese Lunar New Year falls on the 14th of February which is also the Valentine’s Day. You can learn to make this recipe ahead and prepare for your family or loved ones just in time.

There are different kinds of Jiaozi, depending on the meat and vegetables fillings, such as pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish and vegetable dumplings. Among them, the popular ones are ground pork with cabbage, ground pork with leek, pork with shrimp, and fish dumpling. You can always create your own combination based on your preference. Then the dumplings can be prepared in three different ways, boil, steam or pan fried which is the pot-stickers (鍋貼).

Today I have prepared the pork with cabbage boiled dumpling. One important thing is you want to marinate the ground pork with seasoning ahead of time. In order to maintain the juiciness and tenderness of the ground pork, remember to keep stirring them in one direction until they become sticky and tender. Another important thing is to prepare the dipping sauce, which consist of soy sauce and vinegar that makes it a very appetizing dish.

Ingredients:
1 package of Jiaozi wrapper (50 pieces)

For the filling:
3/4 lb of ground pork
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp shaoxing wine (紹興酒)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 cup of napa cabbage (chopped finely)
1 inch ginger (minced finely)
4 clove garlic (minced finely)
2 stalks scallion (chopped finely)

For dipping sauce:
2 tbsp white vinegar or black vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
some thinly slice ginger or minced garlic based on preference

Cooking Method:

1. Prepare the filling ingredients, add the soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, salt and white pepper to the ground pork, mix thoroughly. Stirring in only one directionuntil ground pork becomes sticky and tender. Marinate for half and hour or above.
2. Add the remaining ingredients of chopped vegetables, ginger, garlic and scallions into well marinated ground pork, stirring in the same direction, and mix well.
3. Place a piece of wrapper on your palm, scoop one spoonful of filling in the center of the wrapper.
4. Wet dabs of water on the edges of the wrapper, then fold over into half. Crimp the edges together to seal. Make sure your dumplings can stand flat that makes a perfect fulfilling piece of dumpling.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, put 1/3 of dumplings into the boiling water. Bring the water to boil and add a cup cold water, cover. Repeat until the third time the dumplings come to a boil.
6. Remove and drain in a plate. Repeat with the other 2 batches of dumplings.
7. Serve with dipping sauce.

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Have you ever tried those over-sized pork meat balls? It is a popular Shanghainese dish which is called the “Lion’s Head Meat Balls”. The reason for naming them the “Lion’s Head” is because of the meat balls are made in huge size, about 7-10 cm (3-4 inch) resemble the lion’s heads based on the Chinese legend, while the cabbages look like the lion’s mane.

I like how the meat ball is combined with seasoning and the water chestnut for the extra crunchiness. This time I’ve put in some pan fried tofu into the soup for an extra variety of vegetable in the pot.

Ingredients:
For the meat ball:
1 pound ground pork
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup water chestnuts (finely chopped)
1 tsp ginger (minced)
1 green onion (chopped)
1 tsp garlic (minced)
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine
1/2  tsp sesame oil
pepper to taste
2 tbsp cornstarch (dissolve in water)
1/2 cup oil (to fry the meat ball)

For the Soup:
1 pound napa cabbage (cut into 1 inch piece)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp garlic
2 1/2 cup of water or  chicken broth
2 green onions (cut into 5cm)
1 6cm ginger (sliced)
1/4  cup of soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
4 pan fried tofu (cut into triangles)

Cooking Method:

1. Combine the ground pork with salt, sugar and egg, mix evenly. Add the water and mix the ground pork til the meat fully absorb the water.
2. Combine the mixed ground pork with ingredients of water chesnut, green onions, garlic, ginger and seasoning of soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and pepper.
3. Form the ground pork mixture into large meat balls, use the dissolve cornstarch rub at meat balls to shape into rounds.
4. Heat oil over medium heat to fry the meatballs until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium in a soup pot, brown garlic til fragrant. Add napa cabbage stir fry until wilted.
6. Pour the water or broth into the pot, add the green onions, ginger, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to boil.
7. Add the meat balls and tofu, simmer for 30 minutes.
8. Ready to serve.