Fiery Charred Szechuan-inspired Eggplant

It is no secret that I love eggplant. I may not make eggplant dishes every day, but, when it is in season, I bring home as many varieties as I can find at the market, plus I grow my own favorites in the garden every year when it gets warm enough in these parts: Ichiban, Black beauty, Cloud Nine, Casper, and some heirloom varieties that I can find.

Any variety will be fine for this recipe. The sauce glaze is fairly standard as well. The extra step that boosts this recipe is the initial brining, and then charring over open flame a bit before braising in the sauce.

Ingredients
Brine: ¼ cup salt in 4 cups water
1 medium globe eggplant, cut into thick pieces lengthwise

Sauce:
2 Tablespoon dry white wine
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Zhenjiang vinegar
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp Nam Prik Pow if available, or Sambal oelek

Chopped Thai red chilies, sweet red bell peppers
4 to 6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sesame oil

Preparation

1. Soak the eggplant slices in brine while assembling the other ingredients, for about 15 minutes
2. Heat the sesame oil in a pot, add the garlic and chilies and peppers and saute till aromatic
3. Add the sauce ingredients and allow it to simmer
4. Remove eggplant from brine, pat dry and char it over over flame: I use my roti grill for flame roasting
5. Drop the charred/flame roasted eggplant in the simmering sauce, cover and allow to cook over low heat for slow braising
6. Remove the lid when eggplant is mostly done but still firm, not mushy, toss it well till sauce thickens
7. Serve warm with steamed rice

Dubu-Jorim: Spicy Chili Onion Braised Tofu

There are versions of this spicy chili onion tofu dish in Korean, Japanese, Chinese, even Indian cuisine where tofu is usually substituted with paneer (bag cheese). As always, the recipe here is adapted to my taste, so adjust the chili/heat to your palate.

The spicy onion chili tofu comes together quickly and is a fine addition to a simple Bibimbap bowl, along with some braised or steamed greens and veggies, plus fried eggs.

Although this recipe uses fried tofu, if fresh block of firm tofu is all that's available, it is just a quick step to make crispy pan-fried tofu without all the oil and deep-frying. Simply press the block of fresh tofu to squeeze out excess water, cut into cubes, pat dry, and dust with seasoned corn starch (I typically add chili powder, garlic powder, and salt for flavor; plus a pinch of brown sugar for caramelization and color). Pan-fry on a medium hot cast iron skillet flipping to cook all sides till crisp on the outside.

Ingredients:
12 to 16 oz. Fried tofu, cubed
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
2 green chilies, chopped finely
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sesame oil


For the Chili Sauce:
1 Tbsp fried chili in oil
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
2 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
¼ cup water

Preparation:

1. Combine the chili sauce ingredients, stir well and keep handy
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, chopped green chilies, crushed garlic, and brown sugar; saute over medium heat till onion caramelizes
3. Add the chili sauce and simmer till it reduces a bit and thickens
4. Stir in the tofu, cover and allow to simmer some more till the flavors are absorbed by the tofu and it gets a rich thick coating of the sauce all over
5. Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions

Zhima Qiu: Glutinous Rice Balls with Surprise Fillings

A popular Chinese snack, Zhima Qiu, Ma Tuan, is something we indulge in about twice a year or so. And each time, we savor it, trying to come up with different fillings.

Hot, crunchy, chewy, mildly sweet, these glutinous rice balls seem to be a staple at Dim Sum restaurants as I gather. But, neither the kids nor I are fond of the red bean paste filling.

So, we tried a couple of different fillings: sweet lemon curd, small peanut butter chocolate ball candy, peanut butter+jelly, bananas, dry cranberries.

And, since there was no outer indication of what the filling might be, it was fun to bite into one and find the surprise inside.

The recipe for the shell is a standard one available on the web. Glutinous rice powder is available in most Asian stores.

For the outer shell:
3 cups glutinous rice powder
½ cup sugar
1 cup water

Oil for deep frying.

1 cup white sesame seeds for coating

Filling as needed.

Preparation

1. Mix sugar and water until dissolved. 
2. Add the glutinous rice flour and knead to a smooth dough.
3. Roll the dough into a long roll/log and cut into 20 pieces.
4. Flatten one piece at a time, make a concave depression holding the dough in the palm of one hand.
5. Add a small amount of filling in the center of the concave well.
6. Gather the edges and pinch to close, roll into a smooth ball, making sure filling is sealed in.
7. Dip the ball in water and coat with sesame seeds.
8. Deep fry in medium heat till golden brown.
9. Drain and serve warm.

Luffa, Snake Beans, Baby Bok Choy

When D brought home Cee Gwa or Chinese Sponge Gourd from the Asian store nearby, I was excited about pairing it with some other favorites and cooking it.

Luffa aka Cee Gwa is much like Ridge Gourd except with no ridged skin, but just smooth greenish skin that can be bitter, and spongy insides which cook up fast.

Snake beans or Long Green Beans has been a favorite since childhood when my mom used to make paruppusili with it.

Some fresh green baby Bok Choy, Luffa, and Snake Beans came together for this simple dish, served with rice.

Ingredients
1 large Luffa/Cee Gwa, skinned and cut into chunks on a bias
20 or so Long Green Beans (more if preferred), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a few heads of baby bok choy, cleaned and leaves separated
green bell pepper (optional)
a few cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 Tbsp Mongolian Hot Chili Oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat the Sesame oil in a pan or wok, add the garlic and ginger, add the long green beans, some water or stock and salt, cover and simmer till beans are almost cooked
2. Add the Luffa and Baby Bok Choy, Chili oil, a few turns of black pepper from the pepper mill and allow to cook till Luffa turns translucent (which only takes a few minutes)
3. Adjust flavors and serve warm with jasmine or basmati rice

Orange Chicken

Just like my Kung Pao Chicken , this is a favorite with the rest of the family. And, very much like Kung Pao chicken recipe, this Orange Chicken starts out the same way, with only variation in the sauce ingredients to get the characteristic orange flavor.

Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 Tbsp canola oil

coating: seasoned ¼ cup cornstarch + ¼ cup rice flour

marinade: soy sauce + red wine vinegar

Orange Chicken sauce:
2-3 medium shallots, finely diced
6-8 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (or 1 Tbsp dry ginger powder)
¼ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup kecap manis
¼ cup plain distilled vinegar
¼ cup sambal oelek (or, any favorite hot chili sauce)
1 tsp Orange essence
orange zest and juice of 1 large orange
a few drops of yellow food color
cornstarch as needed for thickening the sauce

garnish: Spring onions and cilantro

Preparation

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in the marinade for about 15-20 minutes while assembling the other items
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan and sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients (except orange essence) to the saucepan and simmer gently over medium low heat; add the essence (and food coloring) at the end, adjusting to taste
3. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a pan, drain the chicken pieces, pat dry, and dredge with the seasoned coating, shake off excess, and add them to the hot oil in the pan; allow to form a seared coating at the bottom, then turn over and do the same; cook the chicken till done
4. Add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce if needed, or alternately, add a bit of water to make the sauce thinner to suit your tastes; Turn off the heat for the sauce
5. Slowly add the sauce to the chicken, a little at a time, stirring gently to coat the chicken well, off heat
6. Serve warm with hot jasmine rice

Kung Pao Chicken

I make my version of kung pao chicken quite often, but, I realized I haven't posted a recipe here so far. It is fairly light and non-greasy, and I usually serve it with sticky jasmine rice.

I like the sauce to just coat the chicken, and not have the few chicken pieces float in a pool of sauce. But, adjust sauce quantity to suit your taste. Also, the Kung Pao sauce ingredients can be varied in proportion to suit your taste as well.


Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 Tbsp canola oil

coating: ¼ cup cornstarch + ¼ cup rice flour

marinade: soy sauce + red wine vinegar

kung pao sauce:
6-8 kung pao chilies (I used the ones from my garden)
2-3 medium shallots, finely diced
6-8 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (or 1 Tbsp dry ginger powder)
¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
¼ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup kecap manis
¼ cup plain distilled vinegar
¼ cup sambal oelek or, any favorite hot chili sauce (less if preferred)
2 Tbsp mirin (optional)
1 Tbsp brown sugar or agave nectar (adjust to taste)
2 to 3 cups water
1 tsp cornstarch in 1Tbsp water for thickening (optional)

Preparation

1. marinate the chicken pieces in the marinade for about 15-20 minutes while assembling the other items
2. heat 1 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan and sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger and chilies, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the saucepan and simmer gently over medium low heat till sauce reduces and thickens a bit; if too runny, thicken with corn starch
3. heat 3 Tbsp oil in a pan, drain the chicken pieces, pat dry, and dredge with the coating, shake off excess, and add them to the hot oil in the pan; allow to form a seared coating at the bottom, then turn over and do the same; cook the chicken till done
4. turn off the heat for the sauce as well as the chicken and slowly add the sauce to the chicken, a little at a time, stirring gently to coat the chicken well; save any remaining sauce to use as dip or for stir fry seasoning
5. serve warm with hot jasmine rice

Grilled Chicken Stir Fry

D had grilled some marinated chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) a while back. There was enough leftover from that simple Chicken Breast Sandwich meal. And since D was in the mood for something Chinese, this dish sort of came about one evening.

The stir fry with the sauce is nothing extraordinary, but, the grilled chicken gave it an extra layer of flavor that made this worth remembering :)

The marinade was just some soy sauce, cider vinegar, some handy dry herbs. But, any other favorite home-made or store-bought marinade can be used.

Ingredients
2 marinated and grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
stir fry veggies - cabbage, onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, green beans, broccoli
green or red chillies, sliced
chives or spring onions for garnish
canola oil
for the sauce:
¼ cup dijon mustard (or just yellow mustard, whichever is handy)
1 medium orange, juiced fully, (save some orange zest for garnish)
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
2-4 Tbsp sambal oelek (or cayenne pepper powder)
¼ cup tomato sauce (adjust to taste)

Preparation

1. heat the oil in a pan, add the veggies and stir fry till crisp-tender; then add the chicken pieces and stir fry some more
2. combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and drizzle it over the stir fry till desired sogginess
3. garnish as desired and serve warm with rice or noodles

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

D was in the mood for some shrimp. He had bought some deveined, shelled, frozen cocktail shrimp. So, I made this sweet and sour shrimp dish for him.

Now, I absolutely cannot stand shrimp (I've tried it a few ways), nor can I down any lobster or crab. Quelle Horreur, indeed! However, I don't mind salmon or halibut once in a while, especially if smothered in spicy rich sauce which masks the fishiness :-)

When we were newlyweds, D and I went garage-sale-hopping as we were unemployed then, or partially employed doing pizza delivery and such, and therefore could not afford many things.

That's how the 2$ Pressure Canner came into my life and has become an inseparable and invaluable addition to my kitchen.

Also, that's how the Bread Machine came into my kitchen too - was a steal at 20$ as another newlywed couple in Troutdale was selling their Wedding presents that were multiples.

And, that's how this treasure of a book called The Thousand Recipe Chinese CookBook by Gloria Bley Miller came into our homes. At 5$, it felt practically criminal to take it away from this sweet grandma who told us that she won't be using it much more and would rather give it to someone who would appreciate it.

Anyway, this sweet and sour shrimp is really easy to make and takes less than 20 minutes. Cook the shrimp as desired, make the sweet and sour sauce, then, throw the shrimp into the sauce and it is done. I served it with some home-made pickled radish^† and slit kung pao chilies from our garden that D likes, plus some lemon wedges for extra tartness, if needed.

Now the sweet and sour sauce is taken from the above-mentioned The Thousand Recipe Chinese CookBook. Many sauce recipes in this book are very easy to follow and turn out quite good.

^† Pickled Radish can be made ahead: Just slice some radish and place in a container, heat some plain white vinegar and salt, pour over the radish, set aside to steep for an hour or more; if not using right away, allow to cool, cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients
10-12 cocktail frozen shrimp, thawed, patted dry
½ cup cornstarch
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2- 3 cups canola oil for deep frying

for the sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup water ½ cup brown sugar (or sugar) ½ cup plain vinegar

1 Tbsp cornstarch 1 Tbsp soy sauce (low sodium) ¼ cup water

Preparation

1. heat the oil for deep frying
2. combine the cornstarch, cayenne pepper, salt in a bowl, toss together till well incorporated
3. just before ready to fry, throw the shrimp into this cornstarch mix, lightly toss with hands, throw into a colander and shake off excess mixture (if shrimp is allowed to sit in the mixture for long, it can get gooey and sticky, and won't be light and crisp when fried)
4. deep fry till golden brown, drain on a paper towel and keep handy
5. combine the first 3 sauce ingredients and bring to a boil
6. combine the last 3 sauce ingredients into a paste and keep it at room temperature
7. when vinegar sugar mixture is boiling, slowly stir in the cornstarch soy sauce mixture till well incorporated
8. toss in the fried shrimp, off heat

Serve warm over hot jasmine rice.

Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

Eggplant in Garlic Sauce is delicious when done right: the thick gooey sauce full of flavor, the just-tender eggplant and garlic, the heat from the dry red chilies... enjoyed as-is or with steaming white rice.

Adjust soy sauce to your taste, it can get very salty if the broth has added salt in it; or simply use water instead of broth/stock.

Ingredients
1 medium globe eggplant, diced (or, black beauty, or even a couple of kamo, or calliopes)
4 Tbsp canola oil (or sesame oil, or mustard oil, or peanut oil)
12-15 cloves of garlic, peeled, some crushed, some whole
3-4 medium dry red chilies, (crush a few to release seeds for extra heat)

for the sauce:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 Tbsp plain white vinegar
2 Tbsp black bean chili paste
1 tsp brown sugar
-----
2 tsp cornstarch
some water
-----
for garnish (optional):
2 Tbsp chopped spring onions
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. heat oil in a pan, add the garlic, eggplant, dry red chilies and sauté a bit
2. add the sauce ingredients, lower the heat and let it all simmer till flavors meld, liquid reduces, and eggplant gets cooked, say about 10-12 minutes
3. in a separate bowl, mix the corn starch and a few Tbsp of water, add a little at a time to thicken the sauce, if needed; taste and adjust flavor as needed
4. garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds
5. serve warm with steamed jasmine or sweet rice, or sushi tower, or sushi logs, or even nasi lemak