Cantonese Style Hot Pot

Hot Pot is the Chinese version of Shabu Shabu which consist of a pot of soup and various types of raw seafood, meat and vegetables. It's almost like a fondue but bigger and with soup rather than cheese. Everyone cooks what they want to eat by placing the food into the pot of soup which sits on top of a portable burner.

Fungi!

You may have notice from my previous posts that I love mushrooms! This is a simple dish of chicken stir fry with mushroom. Enjoy!

Enoki and Beech Mushrooms

Fried Fish Cake

This dish is my twist on the popular Thai dish: Fried Fish Cake. My version is more simple and requires less ingredients: fish paste, shrimp. oyster sauce, and cilantro. The Thai version has more aromatics in it which can be a little too overpowering for my kids' taste buds. This dish can be eaten with rice or as an appetizer. I serve this with a spicy ponzu daikon cilantro sauce.

Pork Belly

Kurobata pork belly has become the newest trendy food. They can be found in many celebrity chef restaurants around the world. Its basically bacon that has not been cured or salted. A dish I grew up eating consists pork bellies with picked vegetables. Fortunately I have learned how to make this dish from my father and brother (with my own twist) but its a very time consuming process and not the healthiest dish to be eating so often. My family's version requires boiling the pork belly, then seasoning it with 5 spice powder, honey and soy sauce, then deep frying it till its golden brown, sliced and steamed with the pickled vegetables, garlic, pickled lemons, and black petterf or at least 4 hours. My version swaps out the pickled lemons for pickled plums which can be easily found in chinese supermarkets and using a crockpot instead of steaming it. With a crockpot, I don't have to keep watching the water level and adding water.

Happy eating!!!

Crawldaddies!!!

Crawldaddies!! Mud bugs!!! Crawfishes!!! Anyway you call them they are some finger lickin good crustaceans. They are best when bought fresh and cooked at home. Their meat is tender and sooooo sweet and the cajun spices gives it just the right kick! Throw in a few yukon potatoes, corn, onion, beer, lemon and sausages and you have an amazing "snack"!!

Shitake Mushrooms and Bok Choy

One dish that my kids and I really enjoy is braised fresh shitake mushrooms with steamed bok choy. This dish is great for vegetarians because it does not have any type of meat in the dish nor the sauce. In traditional Chinese banquets, this dish is a must but made with dried shitake mushrooms (need to be soaked overnight to rehydrate) and abalone. This dish is extremely easy to make and very inexpensive. The bok choy can be replaced with any type of leafy vegetable that you like.

Aromatic Fried Fish and Ma Po Tofu

I made a fried fish with various herbs for tonight. The herbs consist of Thai basil (stems included), ginger, garlic, fresh red chili and scallions. I love the crispiness of the fried fish and the chili herb sauce. The dish is very simple to make mainly because I buy the fish already fried. I never fry fish at home because it leaves a very strong odor in the house. I always have my fish monger fry the fish for me after they clean it. Saves me a lot of work and doesn't stink up the house!

The second dish I made is called Ma Po Tofu. The dish originates from the Sichuan province in China. The original recipe is spicy but it can be made without all the chilies. I purchase the sauce so all I had to do was brown the pork and add the tofu and the sauce. The original recipe is also a lot more saucy...mine are a little more on the dry side. Will need to improve this recipe but my son loves it!

Same food, different country

Living in L.A. has opened my taste buds to a lot of different types of food. What I found very surprising is that food can be very similar even though they originate from different countries. I also learned about how food can vary by regions within one country. For example, dumplings can be found all over China. However, depending on the province, the size, dough and filling in the dumplings and how they are cooked are very different. Noodles is another example. Italy, Korea, Japan and China all have different ways of making and cooking them. Shepherd's pie, apple pie, cheese pie, meat pie....the list are endless...and I plan on eating all of them!!!

Deep Fried Quails!

Today's dinner was a special treat for the kids: fried quail! Its not a usual dish I cook for dinner but was one I remember eating as a child. Its not same same way my mom makes it but is something I wanted my kids to be able to experience. Another popular dish I remember as a kid is a soup made from "black chicken" (AKA silkies) and various Chinese herbs. The kids don't like seeing the black chicken so I usually keep it in the pot and only serve the liquid part of the soup. It may look weird but it taste good and good for you!!!

Traditions

During chinese new year, it is customary for worshippers to visit temples and pray to various gods and goddesses to bring them new luck for the new year.

Another popular tradition is the lion dances that visit businesses to scare off bad spirits and help increase business.

 A favorite tradition for all children during the new year are the lucky red money envelopes.   

 

Year of the Rabbit

2011 is the year of the rabbit. How will the new year affect your fortune, romance and career? Here is a great link to give you an idea of what is in store for you in the year of the rabbit: http://www.chiff.com/a/chinese-horoscopes.htm

Need a little more luck? It is traditional to place auspicious banners (good luck quotes) around the house or work/business to bring good luck for the new year....I guess I better go me a few!! Just make sure you don't over do it and turn them into wall paper!!

Woks

Got an amazing deal the other day on an important part of any Asian kitchen: a wok!!! Great purchase because it included some great utensils!



Home Garden

I think everyone will agree that every great dish starts with fresh ingredients. What better way than to grow your own veggies and pick them as you need them!! I started my veggie garden 2 years ago and every year my garden has grown to include more veggies. Last year I had over 10 different types of veggies growing in my garden. And that's not including my fruit trees! Everything from mixed salad greens, wax string beans, eggplants, cherry tomatoes, honey dew, carrots, zucchinis, yellow squash and even pineapple. The beginning of summer is when harvesting and feasting begins. It is almost that time of year again so I better start thinking about what I should grow this year.

Live Shrimps

Had a great dish tonite for dinner: steamed shrimps! The shrimp was still alive when I bought them so they were extra tasy. I just steamed them with a little rice wine, ginger, scallions and garlic and served it with a warm soy dipping sauce with fresh green sereno chili and shredded scallions. DELICIOUS!!!!!

Chinese New Year

 Chinese new year is just around the corner. The official date this year is Feb. 3rd and is the year of the rabbit from the chinese zodiac. Chinese new year reminds me of all the delicious food my  mom makes such as sweet dumpling soup which represents the family is all together. There is also steamed fish with ginger and green onions, shrimps and crabs! Check out this link for a description of some traditional chinese new year dishes: http://education2.uvic.ca/Faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/traditional_foods.html 
As with every culture, the tradition may vary slightly from village to village. I will be thinking and salivating until the holiday is finally here!

Lan

How did mom make that?

Hello,

You ever crave a certain dish that only mom or grandma can make? A dish that you loved as a kid and would do anything to eat that dish again? I certainly have a few! Well, okay, a lot actually! I live in California and my mom lives in Delaware so its very difficult to find food like the one my mom makes. No one makes it like mom makes it! I created this site so people can share their stories, recipe and their love for food. Especially the homemade traditional dishes that only mom can make. More and more, traditional recipes are being lost as fusion food becomes more popular. I like fusion food but sometimes you just want something simple and traditional and all the memories that they bring back. I will try to collect some homemade recipes and post them soon. Talk to you later!

Lan