Shell Steak with Oyster Sauce and Mix Vegetable

Are you tired of plain steak?  In Chinese culture, most main dish are savor in flavor and usually pair with some kind of vegetable. It looks prettier and make you feel that you are eating more!  Chinese share a plate of meat instead of big piece for one person. The average family dinner usually come with meat, fish, saute vegetable dish and a simple light soup. of course with white rice. No tea, no juice, on soda too. That's why you don't really see many Chinese overweight. It's a very health way on the daily basic diet.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 15minutes.

Serve: 3- 4 people.

　

Ingredient:

1. 2 shell steaks season well with salt and red black pepper.

2. Half cup baby carrot sliced like pinkie size.

3. Half zucchini cut into pinkie size.

4. 2 cups mushrooms.

Flavor:

1. 4-5 cloves garlic minced.

2. Half medium onion thin sliced.

3. 2 tablespoon soy sauce.

4. 2 tablespoon oyster sauce.

5. 1 tablespoon sugar.

6. 2 tablespoon tapioca starch, or corn starch.

7. 2 tablespoon cold water.

Mix flavor soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, corn starch well, set aside for quick sauce later.

Cast iron pan, high heat, bring pan to smoking hot. Lightly coated with vegetable oil then place steaks in the pan. Seal steak 2 sides, only turn it once, do not flip around or press, so the flavor from juice will remain inside of steak. Cook steaks to medium rare, take it out, set aside.

If pan is over heated turn it to low or off. Check the oil level. (if is not enough, you can add a little more for saute vegetable. If is too much take some out.) Add in the garlic,mushroom and salt, saute till fragrance and soft, keep add in onion and carrot, cook onion to transparent, then zucchini.

While your are waiting the mushroom and onion to be cooked. You can sliced the steak against grand into 0.5 cm pieces, set aside. If any juice come out from the pan, add it back to the sauce.

Make sure the quick sauce mix well then add in the pan stir well. Sauce should be like texture of light cream. If is too thick, you can add in a little more water to diluted. Now, add in the steaks. Serve hot!

* Do avoid greasy cooking, but lack of oil food will show the uneven burning spots. It also will make food try out. Some food absorb more oil during the cooking process like mushroom, potato. Some come out more oil like salmon or rib eye steak or dark meat with skin from chicken. The easy way is make sure the bottom of pan always "lightly coated" with oil when you saute. Then you will be just do fine!

* Picture of Oyster Sauce as below:

Ma Po Tofu ( Spicy Tofu in Si-Chuan Style)

Si-Chuan, is a state in center part of China. It has well know spicy cooking method  in culinary history for so long. Chef like to use lots of Chinese spices in dishes. Most of Si-Chuan's dish are big, bold in flavor. Anthony Bourdain, the food writer from travel channel. He describe the Si-Chuan hot pot, " It's like having a good s_x, very intense, so many things are all happening at once. You get swell, your tongue is numb, it hurts, but you want it more!. " Super"  I said!   Ma Po Tofu is good for beginners, it start with one simple spices, it's also a very common dish at the family table. Are you ready for challenge?

　

Ingredient;

1. 1 pound medium firm tofu cut in into less than 1 inch cubs.

2. 1/2 pound of ground pork or beef.

Flavor:

1. 4-5 cloves garlic minced.

2. 1 Jalapeno pepper seeded and diced it small. Us half in the cooking, other half for finish.

3. 2 scallion diced separate the white and green part.

4. 1 tablespoon dry prickly ash.

5. 2 tablespoon broad bean paste with chili.  *Find the picture at beef noodle soup.

6. 2 tablespoon soy sauce.

7. 1/4 cup white wine.

8. 1 tablespoon sugar.

9. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.

10. 2 cups water or chicken broth.

2 tablespoon corn starch mix with same amount of cold water.

Hot pan, cold oil, add in dry prickly ash, stir until flavor comes out about 2 minutes, then discard the dry prickly ash, remain the oil. If oil is high turn heat low. Add in garlic and jalapeno saute again until fragrance shows, then add broad bean paste with chili keep stir, the color will get darker, but bright. add in soy sauce, wine, sugar, water or chicken broth mix well check the saltiness and add in more cayenne pepper, bring to the broil, goes in tofu, medium high heat cook other 10 minutes. Add the well mix corn starch mixture slowly, stir well and gently with rubber spatula attach to the bottom of the pan, it will avoid to break the tofu. When the sauce comes together, stop adding more corn starch mixture. Turn the heat off add in balsamic vinegar, sprinkle the remain Jalapeno and green part scallion. Great with rice or dig in with a piece of French baguette.

*  Too spicy!!! Milk, Cold Acidly Sweet Juice will calm you down!

*  Picture of Dry Prickly Ash as below.

 

 

Campanelle with Bacon, Chick Beans and Artycho

Miyuky is a busy Japanese mom that my boy has play day with her son. She has 4 kids, good in shape, well put together. The most amazing part is, I never hear she complain! Sometime our kids have play day, she will bring me the bacon with pasta. I love it very much. I ask the ingredients, but it never come out the same. Therefore, I decide to take her idea and create my own. I also can still enjoy to have her around! Thanks for the inspiration my fabulous girlfriend.

 

Ingredients:

1. 1 pound of campanelle pasta.

2. 6 strips bacon cut in 2 inch length.

3. 1 can chick peas drained and rinsed.

4. 1 can artichoke hearts cut in half.

Flavor:

1. 3 scallion diced, separate the white and green parts.

2. 1 medium onion chop the 2 inch size square.

3. 4 cloves garlic.

4. 1/4 cup white wine.

5. 1 cup 2% milk.

6. Half lemon juice.

7. 1 tablespoon white truffle oil. If you have one.

8. Salt, white, red and black pepper.

*Let the pasta cook while you are making sauce. It will save the time. If the sauce finish first, turn the heat off or low, then wait for the pasta.

* Pasta always cook a little under then the texture you like, finish cooking in the sauce. That's how you get the flavor from.

High heat, use half cup of cold water instead of oil to cook out the fat from bacon, when bacon are getting color, ( if heat is too hot, torn it down to medium high.) throw in garlic and onion and the white parts of scallion, saute onion till transparent, but still have it's own texture. Keep adding wine and milk, bring to the simmer also salt, white, red and black pepper check the flavor. Now add in the cooked pasta, chick pea, artichoke hearts mix well. Kill the heat, squeeze the lemon juice, sprinkle the green parts of scallion, drizzle the white truffle oil.

* My kids love salty bacon, I adore creamy chick peas, crunch sweet onion, and the acidly from artichoke will cut off the richness, a touch of truffle oil are fancy enough without break the bank. I got everything in one pan, couldn't ask for no more!

Flank Steak with Color Peppers

If you like the Fajita when you go to the Mexican restaurant.  You will like this smoky, savor, but bright flavor for flank steak, alone with sweet colorful peppers and different texture from green bean and onion.  You will find out, life is pretty good!

Marinate time:  1 hour or over night
Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 15 minutes. 

Serve: 4 people. 

Ingredient:

1.  1 flank steak cut in to 4 pieced.

2.  Half each yellow, orange, red peppers seeded sliced about pinkie size.

3. Half large size onion sliced.

4. 1 handful, about 20 Green beans cut it half, blanch in the hot broil salty water until color turn a little darker, but texture still remain crunch about 3- 4 minutes, then rinse it with cool water. Set aside.

5. 4-5 clove garlic rough chopped.

Flavor:

Beef marinate

1.  1 tablespoon garlic powder.

2.  1 teaspoon oregano powder.

3.  1 teaspoon smoke paprika.

4.  1/4 cup soy sauce.

5.  1 tablespoon light rum, and 1 tablespoon for saute vegetable.

6.  1 tablespoon catch up.

7.  1 lime zest and juiced.

8.  Salt and red pepper.  Some more for vegetable.

* cast iron pan can carry heat well, good for seal steak!

Drain the steaks from the marine liquid well, brush lightly with vegetable oil on top.

High heat, bring the pan to smoking hot point, add in vegetable oil just enough to coat the pan, place in the steaks, leave it alone, turn when the bottom side are sealed with dark golden brown color.  you can take a peek to figure it out, but the key it " leave it alone, do not touch it, or even press it ".   Finish to seal other side, about 6-8 minutes for total. ( Depend on the thickness of your steaks ) cook steak about rare or medium rare, take it out, cover it with foil, and aside, and let it rest about 3-5 minutes.

Slice against the grand thin about 0.5 mm.  * If you cook flank steak well done, it will be very tough to eat!

Kill the heat if the pan is too hot! In Same pan, add a little more oil as if you need it, then the garlic saute till fragrance,  go in with all the peppers and green beans, keep high heat,  stir well or flip the pan, add in the salt and red peppers, finish with 1 tablespoon rum.  Kill the heat, put back the steaks on top, sprinkle diced scallion and cilantro, serve hot!

* If you like spicy, add in the jalapeno seeded and thin sliced, when you saute the vegetable.  It will take you to the heaven. Ha ha!

Lucy's way to find out how steak are cooked without using thermometer.

First picture below:  Relax the Palm, touch and feel the place right under thumb, if it's soft , that is rare.
Second picture below: open your hand without pressure.  Touch the same spot, if it's firm, but tender, that is medium.
Third picture below:  open your hand with force, muscle will be tight.  That is well done!

Enjoy the goodness !😋😋😋😋😋

October Pumpkin Pie

I love Autumn! All the leaves turn color green to yellow, orange, and red, it falls all over on the ground, very beautiful and romantic to me. The pumpkin picking is also a great relaxing afternoon with family, hay ride, applesider donuts, of course you can't miss fresh make pumpkin pie. Don't even mention the excitement that dress up in custom, then trick or treat at Halloween. I feel like a kids again!

Pie dough:

1/2 cup roasted peanuts.

1/4 confection sugar.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.

1 large egg and 1 yolk.

4 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening diced.

2 tablespoon unsalted cold butter diced.

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Use food processor ground peanut with confection sugar well, then add flour mix again, spread vegetable shortening and butter diced evenly, add egg and yolk, cold water, pause couple time until all the ingredient "start" getting together, but not as a dough already. (dough looks partly separated, but if you grab a handful and squeezes, it will come together by itself. Also vegetable shortening and butter will show in the dough. *The key is you don't want to over mix it!)

Place all the dough in the pie pan, use measuring cup to flat the dough to sit on the bottom and make the wall on the edge with thumb on the other hand. ( The measuring cup technic will avoid the heat from finger to melt the fat from the dough.) Cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you bake. Dough will stay cold up to 3 days. I usually make it ahead.

* you can mix everything by hand with pastry blennder or fork, which will take a little bit more effort, but "Do keep the dough cold before you bake! Otherwise it will create the smoke and burn the crust, not a good idea.

Filling:

1.  1 sweet pumpkin as size of honeydew, take the skin off and seeded, cut in to 1 inch chunks, put I the big bowl ( microwave save) add 1/4 cup water cover with damp paper towel. Microwave 5 minutes then stir. Cover again, take other 5 minutes, total 10 minutes. It will be very easy to mash with serving tablespoon.

* I like a little texture, so I don't mash perfectly. If you like it very smooth, put it in the food processor.

2. 2 cups sweetened condensed milk.

3. 1/8 teaspoon salt.

4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

5. 1/8 teaspoon ground clove.

6. 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.

7. 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

8. 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger.

9. 1 egg and 1 egg yolk.

10. 1 tablespoon corn starch.


Preheat oven 325F

Move rack to the low level in the oven, bake crust 10-15 minutes until pale yellow. * Use tray to  carry hot pie easier.

Turn oven to 350F

At the same time, microwave the pumpkin and mix every things together, egg will add in the end. Pour the warm mixture into hot pie crust.

Bake other 40-45mimutes until filling set and the crust will light golden brown. Take pie out, let it cool down a bit for easy cutting. Serve it warm or room temperature is the best.

Fry Rice 101

If you looking a job as a chef in China. They will ask you make nothing else but fry rice. It's all about how well you know the ingredient, when you add in the pan, and the most important part is how you control the " heat" . Good fry rice should be coated with just right amount of oil, but no extras grease on the bottom of plate. Rice need to be light and fluffy. If you add the sauce, the color should be even coated too. If you are expert the aroma will be there for you before you tasted. It look very simple but very challenge. Don't worry, we are not looking a job for chef, just have fun with it because every mom make it too.

Preparation time: 2 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Serve: 2 people.

 

Ingredient:

 

1.  4 cups of left over cooked rice, cold or chill in the zip bag and separated.

 

2.  3 eggs beaten.

 

3.  3 scallion diced, separated the white and green part.

 

Flavor:

 

1.  3 tablespoon soy sauce.

 

2. Salt, and lots of white pepper.

 

3.  Vegetable oil.

 

*Use non-stick pan is good for beginner, also will be light on oil.

 

*Have oil handy by the side. Add in little by little when you see the bottom of pan is getting dry during the whole cooking process.

 

*Flat wood speachler is a good tool for stir all the ingredient and keep away from stick an burn  from the bottom of pan.

 

Heat the pan hot,  add in the oil lightly enough coated the bottom of saute pan,  add in white part of scallion, saute until the fragrant comes out, pour in the egg, keep stirring, makes sure the egg will be dry and fluffy. Go in with rice, well mix together, bring rice bake to hot, then add in soy sauce from the side of pan. ( When the soy sauce hit the hot pan which create better aroma to the dishes.) Mix well again.  The rice should be all golden brown even coated with all ingredients.  Kill the heat, check the salt level, sprinkle lots White pepper and green part of scallion. Stir well and serve.

 

*  Stir fry is a dry heat cooking meths, just remember all the ingredient you add in should be dry or cook it off the extract water, otherwise it will effect the rice and turn rice saggy.

*  Ones you control the water and heat you can add anything you like.

Sausage and pineapple, beef and green bell pepper are very popular in Taiwan.

Chicken Masala

Chicken Marsala is one of my favor dish when I go to Italian restaurant.  I  love the sweet Marsala wine as perfume ingredient in the sauce.  I add in meaty mushroom to give dishes more texture.   Then milk for smooth cream taste and a touch tangy mustard to balance out the richness.   It's a very nice and comfort dish that I like to sever at fall or winter.  

 

Preparation:10 minutes.       

Cooking time:  10- 15 minutes.

Serve 2-3 people.

 

Ingredient:

 

1.  8- 10  slices chicken tenderloin.

 

2.    Baby portabella mushroom sliced.

 

3.  2 scallion diced.

 

 

Flavor:

 

Chicken marinate:

 
1.  1 teaspoon Italian season.

 

2.  1 table spoon Marsala.

 

3   1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

 

4.  Salt and black pepper.

 

5.  1/2cup all purpose flour.

 

* White meat from chicken are light in flavor and lack off oil and water consistency.  It's very easy you will overcook the meat.  That's why Chinese always marinate it first, give the flavor, add in any sort of liquid component, and oil. Flour is lightly coated to give nice color and keep chicken tender from browning, also is a thick ingredient for the sauce.  Now,  you have better control when you add in more ingredient during the cooking process.   

Sauce:

 1.  3-4 garlic rough chopped.

 

2.  1/4 cup Marsala wine.

 

3.  1/2 cup milk.

 

4.  1 tablespoon mustard.

 

5.  Salt, black and red pepper.

 

Add Italian season, Marsala wine and oil to chicken, massage the meat a little, chicken will absorb all the ingredients.  Then lightly coated flour ready for pan.

Heat the pan hot on high first, add in the oil light enough to coat all the bottom of pan, right after chicken.  When the chicken turn golden brown turn to another side. ( If the bottom of pan is getting dry, add in a little more oil).  Cook chicken 2 side golden brown then take it out by the side. ( Finish inside cooking later with sauce).

Reduce heat low, add in more oil if necessary.  Keep adding in mushroom, garlic and salt.  Turn the heat back to medium high, saute mushroom and garlic until soft and fragrance about 5 minutes.  Add in wine stir a little, then milk, black and red pepper, check the salt level, bring it to simmer.  Put chicken back in to the sauce.  Bath chicken about 1 minute on each side.  Sprinkle dice scallion on top before serving.