Posted by Bel.C
My boyfriend and I like eggplant, especially this Chinese recipe, Szechuan style Spicy Eggplant with Minced Pork (四川魚香茄子). If you know Szechuan, you will definitely know the place is very famous for hot and spicy food such as Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐), Spicy Pork Strip (魚香肉絲), and etc. Previously I was always wondering why the dish is called Yu Xiang Qie Zi (魚香茄子) in Chinese, literally means “fish-fragrant” eggplant. After getting to know more about Szechuan cuisine, Yu Xiang (魚香) is actually a Szechuan style of culinary tradition. It’s named so because the preparation of the sauce resembles the taste and flavor of the fresh fish, but it doesn’t use real fish in cooking.
The main ingredients for the Szechuan Yu Xiang (魚香) dishes are basically standard; dried red chillies, scallions, ginger, and garlic; not forgetting sugar, salt, hot bean sauce and soy sauce. The ingredients are well incorporated to bring out the essential flavor and tastiness of salty, sour, sweet, spicy, aroma, and freshness, that make it another mouthwatering dish to be served perfectly with steamed rice.
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Posted by Bel.C
This is one of my favorite Grandma’s recipes, my family called it as simple as “Asam Chai” or “Kiam Chai” in Hokkien, which means Sour Asam Vegetable Stew. When I was young, I really didn’t know what are the ingredients in the bottom of the pot. Whenever my grandma cooked this dish, I would just dug up the vegetables and soup and I could just eat it with plain rice. This dish is basically cooked using the key ingredient of Asam Gelugor, Asam Keping in Malay, or Tamarind juice. By adding in some dried red chilies, ginger and garlic that bring out more of its exotic taste. Thus the vegetable stew is filled with flavors of hot, sourish and spicy tastes that are mouthwatering.
While getting to know about this dish, some families cook it differently by using the leftovers from dinner, like after the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is the best time you can make this dish by using the leftover dishes such as roast pork, chicken, duck and cook them with fresh mustard greens or pickle salted mustard. It is famously known as “Chai Buey” or 菜尾, literally means leftover.
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Posted by Bel.C
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.
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Posted by Eric.N
One of my favor party starters is Chinese egg roll. It is made by wrapping a combination of vegetables and meat in a sheet of dough, and then it is deep fried until golden brown. I love eating it since I was a kiddo. Well, I suppose everyone especially kids like the crispy food. I still remember my family always prepared this dish during the Chinese New Year. My sisters and I would help my mom to wrap the egg rolls, and then my mom would deep fry them. Believe it or not, I could finish up 20 egg rolls continuously in less than 10 minutes.
Since my home isn’t equipped with a fryer, it took me quite sometimes to deep fry all the rolls. For those with a fryer at home, you have advantage of doing this. Anyway, if you never try this recipe before, I personally recommend you to at least try making it once at home even you don’t have the fryer. Trust me, you will enjoy toward the last bite of the last roll!
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Posted by Patrick.C
I had been craving for wonton soup the whole Christmas week due to the cold weather and too much western food I had taken for the past 2 weeks. Hence I thought of heading to one of the local Chinese restaurants to fulfill my longing over the weekend. Apropos of this wonton thing, I told my mom over the phone and guess what? She suggested me to make the wonton soup myself. She is right. I should give it a shot since so far I haven’t yet found a satisfactory one in Los Angeles.
There are various types of wonton and what I love the most is the Cantonese shrimp filled wonton but this time, I decided to make the wonton with filling of minced pork meat and shrimp. Fresh shrimp must be used instead of pre-cooked shrimps to make the wonton. I know most of you might dislike is the process of peeling and deveining the shrimps because it makes your hands stink but bear with it.
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