Tea Leaf Eggs

Chinese tea leaf eggs are so easy to make at home.  Eggs were on sale so I decided to make a batch of slowly simmered flavored eggs to share them with my family.  My kitchen was filled with a wonderful aroma of spices after cooking them in slow cooker for 2-3 hours.

Tea Leaf Eggs

Adapted from here and there

Ingredients:

6-8 large eggs

2 T loose black tea leaves or 2 black tea leaves bags

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

1 tsp five spice powder

1 tsp sugar 

4 tbsp soy sauce 

Roughly 2 cups water

Directions:

1.  Prepare hard boiled eggs in a saucepan.

2.  Carefully tap the eggshells with the back of a spoon to let the flavors seep through the eggs and to create a marbled like appearance when cooked.

3.  Arrange eggs in one layer at the bottom of the slow cooker then add just enough water to cover the eggs along with the rest of the ingredients.  Set the slow cooker on high and let simmer for about 2-3 hours. 

You can cut the eggs in half and serve it with the brew or eat as is.  Enjoy

Dan Dan Noodles

After one year since my unsuccessful attempt at making dan dan noodles, I decided to give it another try.  Dan Dan Noodles  (担担面) is a Chinese Sichuan dish consisting of a spicy sauce with minced pork and preserved vegetables served over noodles.  All the recipes I found were so different so I just adapted to several recipes into one.  This home-made version satisfied my dan dan noodle cravings for now. 


Dan Dan Noodles  
Serves 4

Ingredients:

Cooking oil
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 T garlic, minced
2 T ginger, minced
2 T peanut butter
1 1/2 T light soy sauce
1/2 T dark soy sauce
2 T chili oil
1 T Sichuan peppercorns (toasted & ground)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound noodles

Garnish:
Crushed roasted peanuts
Chopped green onions

Directions:
1. Mix pork, soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil.  Set aside and let marinade for 15 minutes.
2. Heat a large wok or skillet on medium high heat. Add oil and brown until no longer pink then set aside.
3. Return wok to heat, add oil and saute onions until tender.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant.
5. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, chili oil, chili sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorns and chicken stock and simmer for 5-7 minutes.
6. Add the pork and remove from the heat.
7. Prepare the noodles according to package instructions. Place noodles on a plate and pour some of the pork  mixture over the noodles.
8. Garnish with chopped peanuts and green onions, and serve.

Sources:
Closet Cooking
World Foodie Guide
Smoky Wok
Appetite for China

Daikon Radish Cake

My mother-in-law makes the best Chinese turnip cake or daikon radish cake.  It's usually a dim sum staple and tastes delicious pan fried to a a golden crisp on the outside after it's steamed.  I saw daikon on sale at the grocery store and thought of this dish.  I had most of the ingredients at home and it looked easy to make so I decided to give it a try.  The only thing I did not have was shiitake mushroom which hubs doesn't like anyway so I skipped it.

Daikon Radish Cake
From Nook and Pantry

Ingredients:

2 1/2 - 3 cups coarsely shredded daikon (around 1.5 - 2 lbs)
1 Chinese sausage, finely diced
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, finely diced (I skipped this)
2 Tbsp small dried shrimp, finely diced
1 - 2 green onion stalks, chopped
2 cups rice flour (do not use glutinous rice flour)
1 3/4 cups water
salt and white pepper
oil

Method:

Rehydrate the dried mushrooms and dried shrimp by soaking them in hot water for about 15 minutes. Peel and shred daikon; set aside. Mix rice flour with 1 cup of water. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a skillet or wok and stir fry chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms, shrimp, and green onion for 2 to 3 minutes. Add daikon, 3/4 cup water, 1-2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Stir in the rice flour water mixture until it thicken then pour into a well greased round or square cake pan. Steam over medium high heat for about 50 minutes. Cool or chill overnight. After cooling, cut the cake into 1/4 inch thick slices and pan fry both sides until golden brown. *Serve with chili soy sauce.

*You can also serve the crispy daikon cake with eggs.  My husband grew up eating homemade daikon cakes this way.  Just beat an egg with salt and pepper to taste.  Then while the cakes fry on both sides, pour the egg over the daikon and let it set, turning them over so that they are coated with the egg.  Transfer to a serving plate once the the egg is set and cooked through and dip in sauce.

Making Homemade Pork and Shrimp Wontons

Wonton noodle soup is a budget-friendly dish to make especially in this tight economy.  Growing up, my sisters and I would gather around the table and help my mom wrap wontons.  It was a very bonding experience.

Making wontons can be time consuming but it's super easy to make.  I like to make a lot and freeze the rest for a quick meal whenever I feel like adding wontons to my soup noodles.  You can eliminate the shrimp and just use pork or vice versa if you feel like splurging.  I like my wontons with shrimp so I use 50/50 pork to shrimp ratio.  The size of the shrimp does not really matter since you have to chop it up anyway.  If you are unsure of how to wrap the wontons, there are tons of videos available online.

Pork and Shrimp Wonton Recipe
Makes about 40-50 wontons

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. shrimp, shelled, deveined, and chopped
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Xiao Hsing wine or rice cooking wine
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

1 package wonton wrappers
green onions, chopped
Chicken broth

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Assemble wontons one at a time by placing a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper.  Moisten the edges with water and fold to form a triangle.  Press firmly to secure edges.  Brush one tip of the triangle with water and bring the two corners together to finish off the wonton.  Repeat until all wrappers are used.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add the wontons making sure not to overcrowd them.  Let the wontons boil for about 4-6 minutes until they float to the top and are cooked through.  Remove wontons with a sieve or slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.  Ladle hot broth over wontons and garnish with green onions.

Optional:  Serve with Hong Kong-style egg noodles and bok choy or any type of Chinese greens for wonton mien (noodle soup).

To freeze:  Put wontons in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking dish, making sure they do not touch.  When frozen, gather them up and put in a freezer bag.

Shanghai-style rice cakes

The first time I had Shanghai-style rice cakes I was instantly hooked and I knew I had to recreate this at home.   This is a great alternative to dukbokki (Korean spicy rice cakes) if you are not in the mood for something spicy.  Rice cakes can be very filling so for me this was more like a snack or appetizer.  First time I made this using shiitake mushrooms and my husband didn't like it.  This recipe just called for napa cabbage.  You can add any vegetables you desire.  I've seen bean sprouts, chives, and yu choi in some recipes I've searched.  This one is Henry approved so it's a keeper!

Shanghai-style rice cakes
From Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

1 lb. oval rice cakes, thawed
1 medium napa cabbage, washed
5 green onions, julienned (I chopped mine)
3 T ginger, finely julienned
vegetable oil
salt to taste
1/2 lb. pork loin, cut into strips
3 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1-2 T cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth

Method:

Soak the rice cakes in cold water for 30 minutes.  Cut the cabbage into 1-inch segments.  In a medium bowl, mix the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch together until the pork in evenly coated.  In a large pan, heat oil, half of the ginger and green onions over high heat.  When the onions and ginger begin to sizzle, add the cabbage and saute.  Sprinkle a little salt to taste.  When the cabbage is almost cooked, remove it to a bowl.  Heat on high the remaining oil in the same pan and add the remaining ginger and green onions for a few seconds, add the pork and saute until the meat is nearly cooked through.  Pour the cabbage back into the pan and stir the pork and cabbage together.  Drain the rice cakes and add them to the pan along with  1/2 cup chicken broth.  Add more broth as needed or desired. Stir the contents of the pan around to prevent sticking.  When the rice cakes are soft and chewy, remove from heat immediately.  Serve hot.

Chinese-Style Steamed Fish

My dad picked up a new hobby.  Fishing.  Yes, even in the middle of winter.  The conversation I have with my dad when I go home for dinner these days goes something like this.

Dad:  "Take home some fish."
Me:  "No, thanks."
Dad:  "Why not?"
Me:  "I don't know how to cook fish."
Dad:  "Just pan fry it."
Me: "Nah."
Dad:  "There's a lot of fish in the freezer.  Take some."

My dad does not take no without a fight.  So we keep at it until I give in.  

Me:  "Alright, I'll take one home."

I don't cook a lot of fish.  First of all, seafood is expensive.  Secondly, it's tricky to cook fish without overcooking it.  Third, I don't like to handle fish unless it's already been cleaned, scaled, and gutted.  I finally remembered to cook the fish my dad caught about two weeks ago.  At first, I thought I'd try to make sweet and sour fish but I didn't have all the ingredients and it would be too messy to deep fry a whole fish.  So, I finally decided on making Chinese steamed fish.  You know, the kind you eat at Chinese restaurants with soy sauce, ginger, scallions, and cilantro.

I learned some secret techniques from Steamy Kitchen on how to steam the fish for the best results.  She also has some fish picking strategies if you want to read about it on her blog.  For restaurant style steamed fish, you need to use fresh fish and steam it on medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, and serve it with fresh herbs and clean sauce.  You want to discard the fishy cloudy water after steaming because the juices is very fishy especially if the fish is not cleaned well.

Enjoy this Chinese-Style Steamed Fish recipe from Steamy Kitchen.

Chinese Steamed Fish

Ingredients
1 pound whole fish
4 stalks, scallions – cut into 3″ lengths
3″ piece of ginger – slice into “coins”
small bunch of cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
salt & pepper

Soy Sauce Mixture
2 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper
fresh chilli – thinly sliced (optional)

Garnish
2 stalks, scallions – cut into 3″ lengths
2″ piece of ginger – finely julienned
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions
1. Clean your fish, pat dry. Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Take half of the herb ingredients and stuff inside the fish.

2. Take the other half of the herb ingredients and lay it in a shallow pan. Lay the fish on top of the bed. If fish is too long, cut in half. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine on top of the fish.

3. Add 2″ of water to a large pot or wok, cover and boil. When it is boiling, uncover, and put your fish pan inside, propped up with a steamer insert or small inverted bowl to use as a stand. Steam the fish on medium heat for about 12 minutes (add 2 minutes for every 1/2 lb.)

Tip:  Poke your chopstick at the flesh near the top fin. If flesh flakes easily near the top fin, then its done. If flesh sticks together still, then add 1-2 more minutes to cooking time.  Timing really depends on the thickness of your fish. Also check to make sure you haven’t run out of steaming water.

4. Towards the end of the steaming process, heat up a pan, add the soy sauce mixture and stir well until well combined.  Set aside. When fish is done steaming, transfer the fish out onto a serving platter, discarding all of the cooked cilantro/ginger/scallions and the fish juice in the pan. Pour the hot sauce over the fish.

5.  In a separate pan or wok, heat up cooking oil over high heat, add the ginger and scallions, fry for 10 seconds to “pop” the flavors. Pour the cooking oil and herbs over the fish and serve immediately!