Mapo Tofu

As I prepared to make Mapo Tofu, I realized I had some Sichuan peppercorns in the pantry and decided to add them to this recipe as called for.  The peppercorns really added a huge step of spiciness, such that I could only eat a small bowl of this before my mouth and tongue were burning and starting to feel numb.  Make sure to have plenty of rice to eat with this to calm the heat.  This also went well over a bowl of noodles.

Mapo Tofu
serves 4-6

1 lb soft tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
6 oz ground turkey
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, sliced with white and green parts separated
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup dried Shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and diced
2 1/2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons toasted Sichuan peppercorns, ground
1 cup chicken stock
2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 Tbsp cold water

1. Place Sichuan peppercorns in a dry skillet on medium-high heat.  Stir and toast peppercorns for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant.  Remove from heat and grind.
2. Pour oil into a large wok or frying pan over high heat.  Add ground turkey and stir fry until the meat is no longer pink.  Turn heat to medium and add bell pepper, Shitake mushrooms, garlic, and the white portions of the sliced green onions.  Cook while stirring for 3-4 minutes.  Add chili garlic sauce and ground Sichuan peppercorns.  Stir well.  Add chicken stock, sugar, and soy sauce and continue stirring until well mixed.  
3. Carefully add the cut tofu into the pan.  Stir carefully so that tofu will keep its shape.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes until tofu is heated through and sauce boils and thickens.  Pour cornstarch mixture over tofu, stir thoroughly, and remove pan from heat.  Serve with rice or noodles.  Garnish with the green portions of the sliced green onions.

Techniques for cooking Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of my go-to meals for a quick dinner that uses up whatever leftovers there may be in the fridge.  It's versatile and fairly easy, though there are a few key techniques to follow to get that fluffy, individual-grain restaurant-style texture instead of a coagulated mess of clumpy rice grains.

Techniques for Cooking Fried Rice:

1. Use day-old cold rice.  The rice needs to be a bit dried out otherwise the grains will stick to each other.
2. Cook your eggs separately from your other ingredients, otherwise you'll get a thin coating of egg over everything else.  Some people do like that though.  There's even a Chinese dish called Golden Fried Rice because each grain is ideally coated with a thin layer of egg.
3. After you add rice to your pan or wok, turn the heat to high.  A really hot cooking surface helps meld the flavors and evaporate off any excess moisture there may be.  
4. Don't over-stir your fried rice.  Let it sit for a while between stirring.  This creates a nice golden brown color in the rice and you'll even get some crispy grains from the rice that's in direct contact with the pan.  Those crispy parts are the best!

Ideas for fried rice ingredients:
Sauce/flavor - soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, Chinese BBQ sauce, ketchup
Protein - egg, Chinese sausage, firm tofu, leftover chicken/pork/beef, dried shrimp
Veggie - frozen mixed vegetables, corn, cabbage, any other diced vegetables

Asian Crock Pot Pork Loin Roast

I'm still learning the ropes of what it means to cook for two.  My previous routine of cooking once and having enough leftovers to pack lunch for an entire week are now out the window!  I knew that my husband ate twice as much as I do, but I didn't realize that now means my cooking may only last us one dinner and one lunch meal.  What a difference an extra mouth makes!

This week I came home with a center cut pork loin from the grocery store and no ideas on how to cook it.  I decided to use the crock pot since that seemed to offer the most convenience and food quantity.  This recipe for asian style pork yielded an intensely flavored meat that was delicious atop plain noodles or rice.  Due to the cut of pork, some portions of the meat were a tad dry but the salty, vinegary, sugary sauce more than made up for it.  I could eat a whole bowl of rice with just the sauce drizzled over it.  Saute some bok choy and you'll have yourself a well-rounded meal or two...or more.  This actually lasted us a good 3-4 meals! 

Asian Crock Pot Pork Loin Roast
Adapted from Skinnytaste
Serves 6-8

2.5 lb lean boneless pork roast (I used a center cut pork loin roast)
Salt and fresh cracked pepper
Olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice (or use 2 star anise and 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cloves )
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
8 oz sliced shitake mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Rinse pork with water and pat dry.  Season on all sides with salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add some olive oil when skillet is hot.  Brown the pork on all sides for about 8-9 minutes.
2. Combine the following in the crock pot:  chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili pepper flakes, Chinese five spice, garlic and grated ginger.  Stir to mix the contents.  Hint: Peel ginger by scraping off the skin with the edge of a spoon.  Place ginger in the freezer for 15 minutes before grating.  I've found it's much easier to grate frozen ginger and it doesn't get into a big mushy mess.
3. Place browned pork inside the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.
4. After about 7.5 hours of cooking, remove the pork from the crock pot and set aside for 5 minutes.  Add the sliced mushrooms to the crock pot and cover to let cook for the remaining 30 minutes.  Shred the pork with two forks, place back into the crock pot, and stir to make sure everything is covered by the delicious broth.  
5. Serve pork and mushrooms over dry noodles or rice, being sure to drizzle a few spoonfuls of the sauce.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Enjoy!

Shanghai pan-fried dumplings (sheng jian bao)

Every time I pass through Alhambra, I love to stop by Kang Kang Food Court for their Shanghai pan-fried pork dumplings.  At 8 dumplings for less than $6, this is one of the best items available for a quick and delicious snack.  Pork and its juices are encased by soft, chewy dumpling skin and pan-fried to create a crispy golden brown crust on the bottom.  Any seasoned dumpling eater will warn you not to take a deep bite into these dumplings, lest the scalding soup inside renders your taste buds useless for the remainder of the day.   An insider's tip to eating these is to poke a small hole in the top of the dumpling to let some steam escape.  Then pour a small spoonful of the supplied vinegar dipping sauce into the hole and wait a few seconds as the sauce cools down the dumpling.  Cradling the dumpling in a spoon, slowly bite through the dumpling skin and slurp up the inner liquid as you take your bite, being careful not to lose any of the precious flavorful juices.  The piping hot freshness and delectable filling really make these dumplings one of my favorites!  

Kang Kang Food Court
27 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(Additional locations in Monterey Park and Temple City)         

Chinese braised beef and eggs

Shao bing jia rou (aka sesame pancake with braised beef shank) is a standard offering for Taiwanese breakfast. Fragrant toasted sesame bread filled with flavorful beef, scallions, cilantro and sauce...it's a nice filling way to start the day! We decided to make this for our Sunday School class this week. We braised the beef a few days ahead and also used the braising liquid to make soy sauce eggs.  As with many Chinese dishes, this one had no specific recipe beyond the list of ingredients provided by my mom. Below is my best guess at the details. :P 

Sesame pancake sandwich (Shao bing jia rou)
6 servings/sandwiches

1 6-count package sesame pancakes (available at a Chinese supermarket)
1 lb sliced Chinese braised beef (recipe below)
1 green onion, sliced into strips
a few sprigs of cilantro
1/4 cup braised beef sauce (see below), hoisin or plum sauce

1. Toast pancake in the toaster.  Carefully slice pancake in half longitudinally, leaving one length intact.
2. Spread desired amount of sauce inside the pancake and place 2-3 slices of beef (may vary depending on size/thickness of slices).  Add green onion and cilantro to your liking.  Repeat with remaining pancakes.

Chinese braised beef (Lu niu rou)
3lbs beef shank
2 cups water
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine
10 star anise
2 Tbsp szechuan peppercorns (optional)
1 stick cinnamon
5 slices ginger

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Place beef shank into boiling water and let cook for 5 minutes.  Remove beef and discard water.
2. Place the water, soy sauce, rice wine and spices into a large stock pot on high heat.  After the liquid boils, place beef into the pot and let it boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer the beef for about 3 hours, turning the beef over every 30 minutes so that each side of the beef gets its turn sitting in the braising liquid.  
3. Remove beef from the liquid and let it cool.  Refrigerate overnight and then slice the beef against the grain into thin slices.
4. The remaining braising liquid can be used to braise eggs, chicken, tofu, seaweed, etc.  After you're all done braising to your heart's content, simmer the leftover liquid on low heat until it reduces into a nice thick sauce, perfect for the beef or on plain white rice.