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Spicy Lemon Soy Chicken Drumsticks Recipe and Happy New Year!

Friday, December 31, 2010 | Labels: , , , , | 18 Comments »

A new year is arriving and as always, we end up reflecting upon what happened in the past one year while looking forward to see what the new year brings.   Good or 'bad', this year is almost gone and it's time for a new year and a new beginning.  As for me, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my lovely readers and fellow bloggers who have supported, encouraged and continually inspired me.  I wish all of you an abundance in health and love for the coming year and many many years ahead!

Here's a super last-minute New Year party recipe - easy roasted chicken drumsticks marinated in an appetizing spicy and lemony soy-based sauce.  I marinated my drumsticks overnight although a few hours should suffice.  I love baking meat dishes when I am feeling lazy or tired, you just have to make sure your marinade tastes good and your dish can almost always be guaranteed delicious. In addition, if you use porcelain baking trays like I did, you can save on the plating and just serve straight from the oven!

Spicy Lemon Soy Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

The spiciness from today's sauce comes from daobanjiang (spicy soybean paste), a staple in Szechuan cuisine while the honey and lemon did a good job of cutting into the spiciness.  I find that it is important to baste the drumsticks at least twice during the cooking process which will ensure a gorgeous colour and of course maximum yumminess.  Apart from the customary soy sauces (I used a thick caramel soy sauce and regular light soy sauce), I used mirin and Chinese Shaoxing wine for some added aroma.  I am a huge fan of both condiments and I always make sure I have a ready supply of both in my kitchen.  This recipe will work great with chicken wings or drummettes as well.


Spicy Lemon Soy Chicken Drumsticks Recipe


Lamb with Ginger and Scallions Stir-fry Recipe 姜葱羊肉片

Sunday, December 26, 2010 | Labels: , , , , | 9 Comments »

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and as we're still in the thick of the holiday season, here's an extremely simple and quick stir-fry for a satisfying meal with minimal prepping.  I have always been a big fan of lamb, and today's stir-fry is simply lamb slices cooked with ginger and scallions/ green onions in a simple soy-based sauce.  If you find lamb too gamey for you, feel free to substitute with beef and it will be preferable to buy thinly sliced beef for this dish.  The thin slices ensure that you will not need to marinate the meat for long since it will be easier for the meat to absorb the seasoning.

Lamb with Scallions and Ginger Recipe

From my understanding, lamb and mutton are used a lot in Chinese Islamic cuisine and is more common in the western and northern parts of China.  Stir-frying with ginger and scallions is however a popular Cantonese style of cooking especially with beef but I chose lamb today as some of my diners do not eat beef due to religious (Buddhist) reasons.  Personally, I like the taste of lamb although some may find it too gamey. Ginger and scallion slices fried till aromatic do well at eradicating most of the gaminess. I love adding Chinese rice wine or Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒) as well while cooking - I highly recommend keeping a bottle of Shaoxing wine in your pantry for your Chinese cooking purposes as it imbues a lot of popular Chinese dishes with a delicate and pleasing fragrance. If Shaoxing rice wine is not readily available, you can use cooking sake instead.

Lamb with Scallions and Ginger Recipe


Shanghai Style Stir-fried Udon Noodles 上海式乌冬面

Thursday, December 23, 2010 | Labels: , , , , | 8 Comments »

Today's feature is my stir-fried udon styled after the famed Shanghai Noodles.  As is traditional, I included cabbage and pork slices.  If you are not able to find freshly made and good quality thick Chinese noodles, I would recommend for you to use udon noodles as the latter are usually more consistent in quality and does not contain too much alkaline water.  Hence, if you are using udon you can skip the step of running the noodles through cold water after boiling.  One important thing to note before frying the noodles is to make sure that the noodles are throughly dried after boiling before adding to the wok for frying.  This ensures that the flavours will be fully absorbed by the noodles.

Shanghai Style Udon Recipe

Shanghai cuisine (上海菜), also known as Hu Cai (沪菜) is a delicious culmination of cooking styles from its' nearby provinces like Jiangsu and Zhejiang.  Among many popular Shanghai dishes are steamed mitten crabs, lion's head meatballs, xiao long bao (mini steamed pork buns), 'eight-treasure' duck and of course Shanghai noodles.  I love how black vinegar is put to good use in a lot of Shanghainese dishes and of course it is included in today's noodle recipe that perfectly rounds off all the yummy flavours.

Shanghai Style Udon Recipe

These noodles make an extremely quick and satisfying meal and should definitely be on your weeknight menu!

For another easy udon recipe of mine, try:

Stir-fried Udon with Chicken and Mushrooms

Kimbap 김밥

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 | Labels: , | 16 Comments »

The first time I tasted kimbap was when I bought some from a Korean grocery store in California and I absolutely loved it. Kim refers to the seaweed and bap means cooked rice.  Due to the simplicity of assembling and the convenience of having rice, vegetables and usually meat in one satisfying bite, kimbap is almost an ubiquitous picnic food and a staple in most lunch boxes.  Due to sushi's more widespread popularity, kimbap is often known as Korean sushi although as Korean cuisine is gaining more and more exposure in international culinary circles, kimbap may finally be recognized as kimbap!

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There are a few key differences between kimbap and sushi; kimbap uses cooked and sometimes seasoned ingredients whereas there is almost always a raw ingredient in the Japanese maki rolls.  The rice used as well differs in that much lesser vinegar is used in kimbap compared to sushi and sesame oil is also used to season the rice for kimbap sometimes.  Sesame oil is also lightly brushed onto the outside of the kimbap before eating.  Finally, I don't think I have ever seen kimbap served with wasabi or soy sauce, it is mostly eaten on its' own since most of the ingredients are usually already seasoned and there are no raw ingredients used.  Wasabi is usually eaten with raw foods as it has anti-microbial properties thus reducing instances of food poisoning.

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Kimbap is also very versatile, you can put whatever ingredients (within reason of course!) you wish into the roll to have your very own kimbap recipe, but I find danmuji (yellow pickled radish) a must.  I used carrots, cucumber, omelette, yellow pickled radish and Japanese fish cakes for my kimbap today.  It is also common to use canned tuna for kimbap, if you do - after draining the tuna from the can, saute with a bit of minced garlic, a bit of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil before adding into your roll.

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Step-by-step photos after the jump.

Sweet and Spicy Egg Tofu with Shrimp Recipe 酱汁玉子豆腐

Sunday, December 19, 2010 | Labels: , , , | 4 Comments »

Egg tofu (玉子豆腐) is one of my all-time favourite ingredients to use, so versatile yet so flavourful even on its' own - I highly recommend that you give egg tofu a try, I am pretty sure you won't regret it especially if you find plain tofu a little bland.  Today's egg tofu dish was inspired by the classic Szechuan dish, Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐)which I will feature at a later date by the way. The egg tofu is cubed;and cooked together with shrimp in a spicy and sweet sauce which contains daobanjiang(辣豆瓣酱) or spicy bean paste which is a popular condiment in Szechuan cooking. Ginger slivers and minced garlic are first stir-fried until aromatic, then the ingredients for the sauce are added into the wok for a quick fry. The resulting sauce is sweet, savoury, spicy and infused with a good dosage of umami - a definite crowd-pleaser.

Sweet and Spicy Egg Tofu with Shrimp Recipe
Although I have stated my preference for egg tofu, this aromatic sauce will also work well with plain tofu but definitely pick the silky versions.  Also, for dishes like these that use soft tofu, be sure to use a large enough spatula so that when  you gently stir-fry the tofu around, you won't break up the tofu cubes too much.  The sauce used today is very versatile and can be used to cook other seafood as well like crab (deep-fry first), clams or as a steaming sauce for fish. 

Sweet and Spicy Egg Tofu with Shrimp Recipe

Every mouthful was a pleasure with the silky texture of the egg tofu mingling with the tender shrimp in a sauce bursting with flavours!

A non-spicy egg tofu recipe:

Egg Tofu and Shrimp Stir-fry Recipe

Korean Marinated Eggplant - Gaji Namul 가지나물 (Banchan)

Saturday, December 18, 2010 | Labels: , , , | 14 Comments »

Recipe from Maangchi

Whenever I sit down to a meal at a Korean restaurant, I am always delighted at the array of colourful and delicious banchan (side dishes) served.  Today's feature is one of my favourite banchan, a delightfully simple marinated eggplant dish or otherwise known as gaji namulNamul refers to vegetables that have simply been marinated usually with some soy, sesame oil and minced garlic.  I was thinking on what I should make with the remaining eggplants I had leftover from my spicy Sichuan eggplant  and this easy plus quick banchan came to mind.

Korean Gaji Namul Recipe

Eggplant is first steamed, then torn by hand and marinated in soy, some minced garlic, green onions, gochugaru (chilli pepper powder), sesame oil and sprinkled with some fragrant sesame seeds for added texture.  I hope you will give this a try since it is so easy and if you are a fan of eggplant, you will almost certainly love this everyday Korean dish.  Serve as part of a Korean meal or simply as a vegetarian dish on its' own with steamed rice.

Korean Gaji Namul Recipe

Thai Fried Rice - Khao Phat ข้าวผัด Recipe & Some Tips for Fried Rice

Tuesday, December 14, 2010 | Labels: , , , | 8 Comments »

Fried rice is based on the leftover philosophy.  What better way to make use of your leftover ingredients or when cleaning your fridge than to cook a good bowl of delicious fried rice?  Since I have been trying my hand at Thai cuisine lately, like my tom yum soup and green curry chicken, I was left with a handful of kaffir lime leaves and of course I bought a new jar of nam prik pao (Thai roasted chilli paste) and still have an almost full bottle of fish sauce. (Note: fish sauce is also used a lot in Chinese cooking.)  Naturally, I thought of making fried rice, Thai style.

Thai Fried Rice Recipe and Tips

There are no fixed rules for what you can put in your fried rice.  Just be creative and add in whatever vegetables or protein that you fancy or have on hand at the moment.  However, I would say that using day-old cooked rice is of utmost importance as freshly cooked rice will be too starchy and will result in a wok of fried mush instead of fried rice!  If you really crave fried rice but don't have day-old cooked rice on hand, you can try laying out freshly cooked rice on a baking tray and force-cool it down.  Wait until rice is entirely cold before frying.

Thai Fried Rice Recipe and Tips

As a huge fan of fried rice, I have tried making it at home numerous times, the first few times were pretty disastrous when I tried years ago, the taste was good but the texture of the rice left much to be desired.  Finally, I concluded that apart from day-old rice, it is important to use a big wok and to make sure it is smoking hot!  While frying the rice, the rice should be dancing about in the wok - that means the wok is hot enough.  A wok is really the best apparatus for cooking fried rice, pans won't work half as good and you have to make sure there is enough room to stir the rice around as you will be furiously stirring the rice to make sure nothing gets burnt while maintaining the high heat.  The high heat is necessary in fried rice for the necessary 'wok breath' that makes it more aromatic and tastier.  According to some Chinese chefs, the mark of a good fried rice dish apart from taste is that each grain of rice should be coated evenly hence fast and furious frying is usually needed to ensure such.

Thai Fried Rice Recipe and Tips

In conclusion, the bare essentials (excluding ingredients) for fried rice are:

1.  Day-old cooked rice (preferably jasmine)
2.  Big wok (typing this makes me laugh a little as 'big wok' translated literally to Cantonese (a slang) means  big trouble)

What else would you add to this list?


Sichuan Spicy Eggplant or 'Fish Fragrant Eggplant' Recipe (鱼香茄子)

Monday, December 13, 2010 | Labels: , , | 21 Comments »

Sichuan cuisine is famously known for its' fierce flavours, spicy, hot, pungent and salty.  Due to the use of Sichuan peppercorns, not only are some of the dishes spicy, the peppercorns also provide a unique numbing effect which many find addictive.  According to Chinese culinary records, chilli was only introduced to China about 100-200 years ago hence Sichuan cooking only started becoming spicy not too long ago.  Today I am featuring one of Sichuan's popular dishes, a braised eggplant dish cooked with pork which is rather contradicting to its' common name.  Literally translated, 鱼香茄子 is 'fish-fragrant eggplant'.  Traditionally, there is no fish used in this dish, not even fish sauce but the name of the dish was probably coined as such since the fragrant sauce used in the dish is also a popular sauce used to cook fish in the province.  This eggplant dish was probably food for the commoners and due to Sichuan's location, fish was probably too expensive of an ingredient for the commoners hence the commoners improvised and just used the popular sauce for pork and eggplant which were probably more readily available to the average household.

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Most of Sichuan lies in the Sichuan basin - basically a lowland region in Southwestern China, hence the weather is mostly humid although it still has a four season climate with mostly mild winters.  In line with Chinese traditional medicine belief, inhabitants of the region prefer to consume spicy and heat-inducing foods to combat their 'internal wetness' due to the high humidity.  Sichuan cuisine may take some getting used to even for Chinese from other parts of China due to the extremely fiery flavours. 

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Today's feature is eggplant cooked with pork in a pungent and aromatic sauce where the mild-tasting eggplant provides the perfect backdrop.  Although there is no fish in the dish traditionally, some versions include fried salted fish bits, probably a Cantonese or South East Asian influence that in my opinion adds to the potency of this delicious and aromatic dish.

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Bibimbap 비빔밥 (Korean Mixed Rice) Recipe

Friday, December 10, 2010 | Labels: , , , | 14 Comments »

Bibimbap, the famed Korean rice dish is essentially mixed rice - namul  or marinated vegetables, meat, usually an egg and gochujang (red pepper paste) served on top of a bed of rice.  The variety of colours and textures of bibimbap make not only for a delicious dish but also an incredibly pretty dish. I have always loved bibimbap but it took me a while to feature as although simple, it does involve a fair amount of chopping and stir-frying.  This deceptively simple dish has royal lineage by the way, it can be traced back to the Joseon Dynasty, a dynasty born in Jeonju where bibimbap was prepared in the royal kitchens.  Bibimbap has since became Jeonju's signature dish and there is even a mini museum in the city!

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For the meat portion, I made an easy spicy pork stir-fry and if you prefer a vegetarian version just leave out the meat.  Bibimbap is such a vibrant and appetizing dish, the different textures of the vegetables combined with the unique earthy flavour of the gochujang meld together to create this unique and representative Korean dish.  Another delicious version of bibimbap is dolsot bibimbap where bibimbap is served in a hot stone pot where the rice is still sizzling, usually with a raw egg cracked in right before serving. 

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Aren't the colours beautiful?  Pleasing to the eye and to the palate, it's hard for me to resist this dish!


Spicy Tuna Buns Recipe (Tangzhong Method)

Wednesday, December 08, 2010 | Labels: , , , , | 9 Comments »

Recipe adapted from Christine's Recipes

Spicy tuna encased in layers of pillowy soft and fluffy bread - typing that makes me hungry.  Being an amateurish amateur baker, I am still astounded and amazed that I am able to produce such good and I mean good bread.  This is the magic of tangzhong (the famed water roux starter method). The texture is just incredibly cottony-soft.  You have to try this for yourself and you can do this even without a bread machine - just knead the dough the traditional way which is what I did.  Today is the third time I am making bread with tangzhong and it is getting easier (the kneading part even by hand), the dough does not feel as unbearably sticky as it did the first time, I did not even need to add any additional flour at all and the results were perfect.

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Spicy tuna is one of my favourite fillings for sandwiches and it made a great filling for today's feature as well.  Not only did I fill the buns with spicy tuna (mixed with shallots and mayonnaise), I spooned some on top of the buns as well for yummy edible garnish.  I have heard of this method for making bread a long time ago but it was only until recently that I put my  heart to it after seeing the wondrous results on Christine's Recipes.  As always, this is a great basic bread recipe that you can tailor for any fillings you fancy or just leave it plain for soft and fluffy toast.

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I think I mentioned before that bread-shaping was the most fun part in making bread for me but I think the proofing actually comes a close second.  It's just so wondrous how the dough seems to grow before your very eyes and also of course it shows that your yeast did not expire!

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Love the texture!

Ddukguk 떡국- Korean Rice Cake Soup Recipe

Monday, December 06, 2010 | Labels: , , , | 15 Comments »

Recipe adapted from Maangchi

After a slew of spicy Korean features, today I am featuring a non-spicy popular Korean dish, ddukguk or rice cake soup which is another great way for cooking dduk 떡 (rice cakes/ ovalettes) apart from the ever-popular ddukbokki, rice cakes cooked in spicy gochujang-based sauce, the No. 1 street food of Korea.  Ddukbokki is usually made with rice cakes sold in tubular or cylindrical form and ddukguk is usually made with sliced rice cakes.  However, I just sliced up the rest of my dduk leftover from my ddukbokki earlier for today's feature.  Luckily my rice cakes were quite agreeable and it was a breeze to slice them up. 
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Rice cake soup was traditionally served in Korea during the lunar new year as a symbol of good fortune - the sticky texture of the rice cakes is supposed to be symbolic of good luck sticking to the person having the soup.  Nowadays, the soup has became year-round fare.  The broth is usually cooked with beef but I used anchovies and konbu today for a lighter version.  Usually, egg yolk slivers and crushed roasted seaweed are added as garnish.  Some people like to add mandu (pork dumplings) into the broth as well for an even more substantial dish.

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I think it's official that I love dduk - both the spicy and non-spicy versions.  It is definitely a versatile ingredient to have in your pantry and provides a great alternative to rice or noodles when you want your Asian carb fix!

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Step-by-step photos after the jump.

Thai Green Curry Chicken Recipe

Friday, December 03, 2010 | Labels: , , , , | 9 Comments »


May I present the second Thai dish on this blog, Thai green curry chicken.  Green curry (kaeng khiao wan) is one of the many varieties of curries in Thai cuisine and is usually known as the mildest form in terms of spiciness.  If you prefer spicier curries, just add in more Thai green chilli peppers while you are making the paste if you go the full route but if you're using curry paste, just add more chilli peppers while cooking.  I decided to just go with using fresh green curry paste today as I could not find coriander root and I find that the fresh paste (Thai Choice) I use taste really good especially after I doctor it up with more shallots, garlic, kaffir lime leaves and fresh lemongrass.

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I find curry paste (fresh preferred to canned) a great help in the kitchen especially when you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen but making your own curry paste is also not difficult provided you have the time, inclination and of course all the available ingredients.  I would also recommend using a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor for better texture rather like making sambal belacan

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I love adding eggplants or brinjals into curries as well, and I find it goes especially well with Thai green curry.  I couldn't find the little Thai eggplants so I substituted with some mini Chinese eggplants which provided great texture and complemented the chicken really well.


Kaya or Coconut Jam Buns (Tangzhong Method)

Wednesday, December 01, 2010 | Labels: , , , , | 12 Comments »


I have always loved visiting bakeries ever since I was just a child- I just love the wide assortment of different buns and breads sitting on their pretty trays waiting to be savoured.  One of my favourites is the kaya bun, there's nothing like biting into a soft and fluffy bun with warm and delicious kaya oozing out!  So of course, once I learnt to make bread using the tangzhong (湯種) method courtesy of Christine from Christine's recipes, I just had to try making my own version of kaya buns especially since I had half of the tangzhong (water roux starter) leftover from my raisin bread.  Kaya is a coconut jam flavoured with fragrant screwpine leaves (pandan leaves) that is extremely popular in the South East Asian region.

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Bread made with the tangzhong method turns out especially soft and fluffy, this simple flour paste starter is cooked to 65 degrees celcius and apparently how it works is that it allows the dough to retain more moisture and increases the leavening effect which gives us softer and fluffier bread.  No worries if you don't have a bread machine, I kneaded the dough with my hands.  Just try not to add too much additional flour in the process of kneading (you will feel like you need to) because the dough will be stickier than usual but just persevere and you can still make soft and fluffy bread sans a machine.

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For me, the most fun part of making bread is the bread shaping part.  I made two shapes today for my bread, one being the kaya filled pinwheel-like buns and the other being just simple sweet buttered rolls.  I have always been apprehensive making bread at home in the past as the process seemed so intimidating but after discovering this method, I will be making a lot more bread at home! 



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