紅油抄手/Wonton Soup in Spicy Sauce

I love wonton soup.  I watched my mom make wontons when I was a kid and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.  I would choose to eat wonton soup over anything.  After I moved to Hong Kong for University and began living by myself, I found that almost every street corner had a food stand that sold their own version of wonton soup with slight variations on the soup base or the wonton.  However, there was one particular street food stand that I always returned to because their wonton reminded me of my mom's homemade wonton in Chongqing.  Although I had to stand on the street corner while eating it, I still went there at least twice a week for a quick meal.   Every time I went back home to Chongqing to visit my family, my first meal was always a bowl of wonton soup made by my mom.  

After I moved to Vancouver, Canada, I was really craving my mom's homemade wonton soup.  I went to so many Chinese restaurants just trying to find one that's similar to my mom's but no luck.  So I decided to make it myself.  It's not hard at all!  With my mom's secret ingredients, the wonton will stay soft even if you keep them in the freezer so it's very convenient if you have a family.  We eat homemade wonton soup whenever we are in a hurry and need a quick, comforting and energizing meal.  I made videos about how to make/fold wontons and how to make Chinese wonton soup, and I'm sharing my family secret ingredients with you.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 package of wonton wraps
• 2 oz spinach
• 1 tbsp chopped green onion
• 1 cup of duck soup (or any homemade soup)

For the filling:

• Half pound ground pork (or ground turkey for Thanksgiving)
• 4 oz small shrimp
• 2 green onion
• Half package of soft tofu
• 6 water chestnuts
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 quarter tsp salt
• 1 egg white

For the soup sauce:

• Half tsp salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Half tsp roasted sesame
• 1 tsp homemade chili oil

Directions:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.  Take the wonton wraps and fold the wontons in your favourite style (See the video).
2. Mix all the soup sauce ingredients in a bowl.
3. Bring half a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add the wontons to the boiling water and cook for about 4 -  5 minutes.  When the wontons are floating on top of the water they are ready.  Add 1 cup of cold water to cool down the wonton skins so they don't get soft.  Bring to a boil again, blanche spinach and transfer everything to the bowl where you have the soup sauce.  Add 1 cup of homemade soup to the bowl.  Garnish with chopped green onion.  Mix everything in the bowl evenly.  Now enjoy!

Episode I

Episode II

This is the another version of wonton soup I made in Chinese Silk Squash soup.  It was so delicious!

紅燒芋兒雞/Szechuan Braised Chicken and Small Taro

I am a big fan of braised chicken especially when the chicken is braised with taro in a Szechuan style!  It is so delicious!  Just like my other dish - Curry Coconut Chicken, this dish also requires about an hour and half slow cooking.  The taros I cooked are small taros which you can buy at any Chinese supermarket or Chinatown.  That's why after simmering the taro tastes so soft, tender and juicy.  Since they are small they absorb all the delicious flavours from just one hour of slow cooking.  I only used 1 tbsp cooking oil and cooked the chicken with the skin on so it produces natural oil and doesn't taste very heavy.  I used just the chicken wings, however you can use any part of chicken to make this dish.


This Szechuan Braised Chicken and Small Taro is a well known Szechuan cuisine dish in China.  This dish is especially popular in Chongqing - where I was born.  I remember there is an area called Nanshan in Chongqing where more than 30 restaurants serve this dish as their house special.

Ingredients:
(Makes 4+ servings)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb chicken wings
• 1 lb small taro
• 6 green onion
• Half cup garlic
• 2 tbsp sliced ginger
• 1 oz fresh basil
• 2 tbsp crystal sugar
• A few cilantro
• 4 cups of water

Cooking sauce:

• 5 pcs star anise
• 1 tbsp dried cumin
• 1 pc dried cinnamon
• ½ tbsp dried clove
• 2 dried bay leaves
• ½ tbsp caraway seeds
• 1½ tbsp chili broad bean sauce
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

1. Peel and wash the small taro.  Cut the pieces that are bigger then the chicken wings into smaller cubes.  Chop the green onion.
2. In a bowl, mix all the cooking sauce evenly.
3. In a large non-stick saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add green onion, garlic and ginger to cook.  After about 2 minutes, add chicken wings and cooking sauce.  Mix everything evenly and stir until the chicken is no longer pink.  Add water, basil and crystal sugar.  Cover, bring to a boil.  Add all the taro.  Stir everything evenly and make sure the chicken or taro are not sticking to the bottom.  Cover and let it simmer for one hour, then transfer to a serving plate.  Garnish with cilantro, now enjoy!

椒絲腐乳通菜/Ong Choy Stir-fried with Garlic and Fermented Bean Curd

This Ong Choy Stir-fried with Garlic and Fermented Bean Curd is a very common Chinese vegetable dish (Cantonese cuisine).  You can order this dish at most Chinese restaurants.   Ong Choy has a very unique crispy texture and it's also a common ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes.  In Cantonese cuisine, a popular variation adds fermented bean curd.  When you make this dish at home, it's not only delicious but also very healthy.  The fermented bean curd has a very strong and tasty flavour so you don't really need to add any salt to this dish.  This dish is easy to make and from preparation to finish it takes about 10 minutes.  Here is a video of the whole process, enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of ong choy green (about 12 oz)
• 2 green chili peppers
• 1 tbsp ground garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fermented bean curd

Directions:

1. Clean and cut the ong choy approximately an inch and a half long.  Julienne the green chili pepper.  Puree the fermented bean curd with a spoon.
2. In a medium saucepan or a wok, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add ground garlic and julienned green chili peppers.  Stir for about half a minute then add the pureed fermented bean curd.  Mix everything evenly, and then add the ong choy.  Stir fry for about 3 minutes, until the leaves are dark and tender.  Transfer to a serving plate. Now you are done.

涼拌豇豆/Chinese Long Bean Salad in Szechuan Spicy Sauce

I'm so happy that my favourite vegetable - Chinese long beans - are in season right now.  Unlike my previous recipe (Sautéed Chinese Long Beans with Ginger and Garlic) which was Cantonese style, this Long Bean Salad recipe is Szechuan style so if you like Szechuan Cuisine or spicy food you will love this dish.  This dish is easy to make and is so delicious especially when served with something light or some congee.  When I made Lobster Congee for dinner last night, I also made this salad and it was the perfect combination for a tasty and nutritious dinner.   


I also made a video for this recipe so you can see how easy it is to make this salad.  I will have more video tutorials coming up as I post future recipes.  Please stay tuned.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz Chinese long beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp roasted sesame
• 1½ tsp sesame oil
• Half tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn
• Half tsp homemade Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 1 tbsp homemade chili oil
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped green onion
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cut the Chinese long beans approximately an inch and a half long.
2. Bring half a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add 1 tsp olive oil and salt to the water - this will help to keep the Chinese long beans green.  Add the Chinese long beans to the boiling water and boil them for 2 minutes.  Transfer to a colander, rinse with cold water and drain.  Add 1 tsp olive oil to the Chinese long beans, and then mix evenly.  Let cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the Chinese long beans and all the dressing ingredients.  Mix it evenly.  Serve garnished with chopped green onion on the top.

龍蝦粥/Lobster Congee

Congee is the perfect comfort food.  If you are not feeling well or have an upset stomach, congee is the best choice.  In my case today, I definitely feel like something comforting after our big Lobster and Egg Noodles Stir-fried in Green Onion and Ginger Sauce meal last night.  Many parts of the lobster like the head and smaller claws are not easy to eat but still have lots of flavour so I saved those parts to make congee today.  I saved half of my 7.5 lb lobster and planned to use it all but it turned out to be too much for one meal.  So I took the head and a couple of feet, and put the rest in the freezer.  It was plenty, what a big lobster!


I served the Lobster Congee along with Chinese Long Bean Salad in Szechuan Spicy Sauce and it was a perfect meal for tonight.  This congee is very easy to make.  It absorbs all the good flavour from the lobster and tastes light, fresh and feels very comforting.  I used a rice cooker to make some plain congee before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Make sure the congee is quite thick so it won't be to watery when you add the lobster soup.  By making the plain congee beforehand,  I don't have to stand in front of the pot stirring the congee like I would if making the congee from scratch with a pot.  

Ingredients:

• The lobster head, claws and whatever was not used
• 2 tbsp sliced ginger
• 1 cup white grain rice
• 1 tbsp julienned ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped green onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper powder

Directions:

1. Cook the rice with rice cooker and make a thick congee.  Most rice cookers will have the water levels for porridge made from 1 cup of rice.
2. In a medium pot, add the lobster head, claws and sliced ginger water to cook.  The water should be just covering all the ingredients.  When the soup is boiled, reduce the heat, and then use a soup strainer to strain all the dark bubbles on top of the water.  Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer for 1 hour.  
3. After the congee is cooked, take a pot, add all the congee, julienned ginger, salt, white pepper powder and 3 cups of the lobster soup to cook.  You can always use more or less soup depending on your preference.  Reduce the heat to lower medium and make sure to keep stirring every few minutes otherwise the rice will stick on the bottom.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and garnish will chopped green onion.

薑蔥龍蝦/Lobster and Egg Noodles Stir-fried in Green Onion and Ginger Sauce

I love living in Vancouver because we have access to the freshest seafood.  I went to Chinatown today and bought a 7.5 lbs live lobster for only $7.99 per pound!  This is the biggest lobster I have ever cooked and eaten in my life.  When you buy a live lobster from a Chinese supermarket they will cut the lobster for you which is perfect because I could not bring myself to cut a live lobster.  I kept half of the lobster - the head, claws and parts that are harder to eat - to make congee for tomorrow.  I used the best parts - the tail, the body and the parts with meat that is easy to pull out with chopsticks or a fork - to make this super delicious dish.

I can't believe how much my daughter loved eating the lobster!  For the first time ever, she ignored the noodles which is always her favourite, and kept asking for lobster.  What a smart girl, I can already tell she is developing a very refined palate!  My husband and I couldn't even move any more after eating this huge meal.  Maybe I was too greedy but at least lobster is very low in fat and it's almost all protein so I don't feel too guilty about it :)

I also made a video about this recipe so you can see the whole process.  This is my first video so I was excited but nervous.  I know I could have done better.  Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.  Any comments will be appreciated.

Ingredients:

• 1 lobster
• 8 oz egg noodles
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 green onion
• 3 tbsp sliced ginger
• 2 cups of olive oil

For the frying sauce:

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cooking wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cups of chicken stock

Directions:

1. Marinate the lobster with cornstarch before cooking.  Cut the green onion approximately an inch and a half long.  Mix all the frying sauce in a bowl.
2. In a medium pot, add noodles to the boiling water, and cook for 1 minute.  Transfer to a colander, rinse with cold water and drain the water.  Add 1½ tbsp olive oil to the noodles, and then mix evenly.  
3. In a medium saucepan or a wok, heat 1 - 2 cups of oil (depending how big the lobster is) over medium-high heat.  Add the marinated lobster to cook.  Stir and cook all the lobster pieces, until they turn red - about 10 minutes.  Use kitchen paper towels and put them on the plate.   Transfer all the lobster to the plate so the oil can drain off into the paper towels.   
4. Wash the wok, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add green onion and ginger.  Stir everything for about a minute or two, until you can smell the fragrance of the green onion.  Add the frying sauce.  Stir everything evenly.  Until the frying sauce is boiled then add the noodles.  Mix the noodles with sauce and then transfer the noodles to a serving plate.  The noodles will be the bed that the lobster rests on.  Add the lobster.  Stir everything evenly and make sure the lobster is covered with all the sauce.  Cover the wok for about 5 minutes, transfer everything to the serving plate with noodles.  Now you are all done!