Chicken Soup With Dried Scallop and Flower Mushroom 瑤柱花菇雞湯

In English they're both called dried scallops, but in Chinese sometimes we call such "scallop" ingredient Gan Bei 干貝 or Yao Zhu 瑤柱. To make it even more confusing, there's also Yuan Bei 元貝.

While the Gan Bei and Yao Zhu generally means the same dried scallops, Yuan Bei on the other hand usually refers to the best quality dried scallops of them all. Better origin, better shape, and better size. 

Basically you get what you pay for, and there can be a big price variation for such ingredient. So just use whichever tier of dried scallop that you're comfortable with. We do want to make a fancier version of chicken soup this time, but not THAT fancy and leaving you with a hole in the pocket.  

Chicken soup with dried scallop and flower mushroom 瑤柱花菇雞湯 -

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 medium servings)?

• 12 medium large dried flower mushrooms (or shiitake mushrooms)
• 10 medium dried scallops
• 1/2 chicken (I used one whole smaller chicken)
• 1 chunk ginger
• Some salt
• Some water

How? 

This recipe needs to prep the day before. So first rinse the dried flower or shiitake mushrooms, then soak the mushrooms using 5 cups of room temperature water. Cover the container with a lid or cling foil, into the fridge overnight.

Do the same for dried scallops, but use 4 cups of water instead.

On the actual cooking day, keep all the soaking water. Take out the mushrooms first and trim-off the tougher stems. As for the scallops, remove the tougher muscle on the side if needed. I didn't do that for my batch of scallops and didn't encounter anything chewy when enjoying the soup.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil then add in the chicken. Just a quick boil in the hot water, kind of like semi-drawing out the dirty bits. Shouldn't take more than five minutes. Once ready, remove the chicken and rinse under cold water.

Now have a big pot ready and add in the chicken. Transfer the mushrooms, mushroom soaking water, scallops, and scallop soaking water to the pot. Also add more water till about one centimeter higher than the ingredients in the pot. I added 3 more cups here.

Scrape and slice a small chunk of ginger, about 1.5 mm in thickness. We need 2 to 3 slices, add that to the pot also.

Bring the whole thing to a boil first then lower the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Put on the lid and continue to cook for at least 40 minutes. Especially during the first 10 minutes, pay attention and scoop out any grey foamy bits floating on top.

Only season the soup with some salt in the end. I used one teaspoon here. Also remember to pick out the ginger slices in the end.

The soup is good by itself. However, I love to scoop some overnight cold rice to the hot soup and enjoy it as a complete meal. 

For noodle lovers, simply cook up some Chinese flour-based noodles, drain, then add to the soup. The most just add a little chili sauce for an extra kick.

Other Asian soup recipes:

• Korean spicy beef and radish soup
• Wonton skin soup
• Clear stewed beef soup with daikon and corn 無油煙版清燉牛肉湯
• Chicken mushroom and tomato soup in clear broth
• Radish corn and pork ribs soup 蘿蔔玉米排骨湯

Shiso Shrimp and Pork Rolls (Using Flour Based Wrappers)

Do you know that there's a difference between a Chinese spring roll wrapper and a Vietnamese spring roll wrapper? Especially when describing such ingredient in English, it can be hard to tell what kind of wrapper do you actually need for the recipe.

But do not worry. Let me tell you that we are not going to use the "rice" based wrapper for this recipe. Instead, use "flour" based Chinese wrapper instead. It'll look somewhat white-colored and definitely not translucent at all. More so a sturdier wrapper for this pan-fried rolls.

Shiso shrimp and pork rolls using flour based wrappers - 

Ingredients (about 8 to 12 pieces)?

• 8 to 12 medium flour spring roll wrappers
• 300 grams medium shrimps
• 500 grams ground pork
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine
• Some salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sesame oil
• 1 small chunk ginger
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon potato starch
• 20 Japanese shiso leaves
• Some olive oil

How?

Peel and devein the shrimps then slice into medium small chunks. Mix the shrimps together with 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese rice cooking wine, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of white sesame oil. Let it sit under room temperature and marinate for about 10 minutes.

Bring out a big bowl and add in the ground pork. Use a chunk of ginger, scrape then grate the ginger. We will need about 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger in the end. Also peel and grate the garlic, for that we need about 1/4 teaspoon of grated garlic. 

Add both the grated ginger and grated garlic to the big bowl along with the marinated shrimps, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Give it a rough mix then add in 1 teaspoon of potato starch last. Mix till evenly blended this time.

Trim-off the stems for the shiso leaves. Rinse then pat dry with paper towel.

Lay down one sheet of flour spring roll wrapper. Scoop some ground pork fillings and set on the wrapper, a bit closer to our end but do save some empty space to fold in. Also try to shape the filling into a somewhat log-form. Lay down two shiso leaves next to the pork filling, towards the inner side too.

Fold in the left and the right side of the wrapper. Fold in the bottom edge of the wrapper then start rolling up into a log. Towards the end, dip the edge of the wrapper with either some water or potato starch mixed water to help sealing the end. Set the sealed side down and repeat to make all other rolls.

It is totally normal that you won't get the shiso leaves at the correct spot, I mean the green leaves will be like semi see-through beneath the wrapper on the front side. It's hard to get the look right especially it'll also depends on how much pork filling added and the size of the wrapper used too. So just play around and test it out a few times, should get better and better after a few rolls.

Have a big pan ready and drizzle 4 tablespoons of olive oil along with 1 teaspoon of white sesame oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till it gets warm. Once hot enough, transfer the rolls one by one with sealed side down.

Don't move the rolls once set to the pan. Simply sear till the bottom turns slightly browned. Then you can flip and sear the other side till slightly browned too. 

Once all ready, it's up to you if you would like to transfer the rolls to a plate lined with paper towel in order to absorb excess oil, or just transfer onto the serving plate right away.

The wrappers I got were medium large in size, so I ended up with pretty huge pan-fried rolls. If possible, do go with the medium small sized wrapper instead. That way you should be able to get around 12 rolls, and the size will be perfect to serve as a light snack or side dish.

On top of that, my recipe should give you well-seasoned rolls, so no dipping sauce is required. However, if you would like to give it more depth or just offering more flavor choices on the plate, I would say Thai sweet chili sauce will be a great option. It's not as salty compared to other type of chili sauces out there, and can bring something sweet with just a wee bit spiciness to the table. 

Extended reading:

• Pan-fried chicken and Chinese basil rice paper rolls
• Shrimp and pork wontons in vinegar and chili oil sauce

Bamboo Shoot and Chicken Stir-Fry in Ketchup and Soy Sauce Based Seasonings

If you can find super fresh bamboo shoot, that's great. However, if you are using the pre-boiled version or even cooked plus frozen version, just remember to squeeze out as much liquid as possible before stir-frying.

Bamboo shoot and chicken stir-fry in ketchup and soy sauce based seasonings - 

Ingredients?

• 2 bamboo shoots
• 200 grams chicken tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 string scallion

Chicken marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

How?

Remove the tendons from the chicken tenders. Slice the chicken to thicker and wider pieces. Just try your best there, it doesn't have to be master chef quality. Use the ingredients listed under the "chicken marinade" section to massage in and marinate the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes.

Peel the garlic. Scrape-off the skin for a chunk of ginger. Grate these two till you get about 1/4 teaspoon of grated garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of grated ginger. Mix both of that together with other ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. Set aside for later use.

Peel and trim the bamboo shoots if you're using the fresh kind. Slice into long and wider pieces, also about 1 to 1.5 mm in thickness. Sometimes you can get a nice triangular shaped bamboo shoot slices, but not much luck there for my bunch.

If using pre-boiled version, slice the bamboo shoot, try to squeeze out and pat dry any liquid remain.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and switch to medium heat. Wait till warm then add in the chicken. Sear till both sides turn slightly golden brown. Scoop out first.

Still using the same pan, add more oil if it appears too dry. Use medium high heat this time and add in the bamboo shoot slices. Sear till some sides turn lightly browned.

Add back the chicken and give it a quick mix. Pour in pre-mixed sauce. Give it a few tosses till combined. Continue to cook till slightly reduced.

Plate the stir-fry ingredients. Chop or use a scissor to get some scallion bits as garnish on top.

If you're using fresh bamboo shoot then you'll get a much crunchier bite in the end. However, for pre-boiled version, if you really get the liquid out before cooking then you can still get a nice sear later on. That means you can also end with somewhat crunchy bite as a result.

Don't get disappointed if you were left with slightly soggy or soft bamboo shoot slices though. I think the sweet and savory seasonings can do a good job compensating any texture lost in the end. Overall it'll still be a flavorful dish, and goes really well with some steamed rice alongside. 

 

Extended reading:

• Bamboo shoot and pork stir-fry in spicy fermented bean paste seasoning 豆瓣竹筍炒松阪豬
• Summer vegetable curry

Cilantro and Beef Stir-Fry 香菜炒牛肉

Do you know that due to the genetic variation, certain population do not enjoy cilantro as most of the people do. It's like cilantro will actually taste similar to soap, which will make whichever dish using cilantro become weird and unpleasant. 

That I probably can't help at all. However, there's this one other herbal plant that can be used as a substitute for this recipe. I'm talking about dill, a very thin leafy plant that looks similar to the leafy part of a fennel. Taste-wise dill is quite aromatic and a bit grassy, making it a good candidate in this beef stir-fry recipe.

Cilantro and beef stir-fry 香菜炒牛肉 - 

Ingredients?

• 400 grams beef slices (tender part better)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red chili
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 bundle cilantro

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon potato starch
• 1/2 egg white
• 2 sprinkles white pepper powder

How?

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and chop the red chili, use two red chilies if you can handle the heat. Destem and roughly chop the cilantro.

Mix all the ingredients listed under the "marinade" section. As for the 1/2 egg white, I mean the egg white from one single egg, and use just half of that. Add in the beef and massage in the marinade. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Have a wok ready and drizzle a bit more oil than usual for stir-fry dishes. I used 3 tablespoons. Switch to medium heat, or high heat if you are sure that you can cook these ingredients in a speedy way with precise timing.

Add in chopped garlic and red chili. Cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic bits.

Add in the beef along with its marinade. However, the marinade should be fully absorbed by the meat by this time. Give the beef a quick stir-fry and cook till about 70% cooked-through.

Add in 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and give the whole thing a quick mix. Toss in chopped cilantro. Give it a quick mix, it'll take less than 30 seconds here, plate and serve right away.

By the way, this recipe is more of a regular family style beef stir-fry, so we simply cook the beef along with other ingredients at the same time. However, if you have any similar dishes at the restaurant, they might use more oil and quickly stir-fry the beef first. Then they'll scoop out the beef, sear some aromatics, lastly add the beef back again.

I skipped that pre-cooking and re-adding process, especially I think that the final flavor is still pretty darn good. So why not save some troubles and make the housewife's life a little bit easier?

Extended reading:

• Pickled chilies and beef stir-fry 剁椒牛肉

Taiwan's Version of Shrimp Cocktail - Seafood With Five Flavor Sauce

If you like shrimp cocktail then most likely you'll also fall for Taiwan's boiled seafood served with five flavor sauce.

Boiled shrimps and cuttlefish with five flavor sauce - 

Ingredients?

• 24 to 30 shrimps
• 1 medium cuttlefish
• 1 small chunk ginger

Sauce:

• 8 teaspoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce paste
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 red chili (optional)

How?

Let's start out with prepping the seafood. I used shrimps and cuttlefish here, so for the shrimps peel and devein them. As for the cuttlefish, it might be easier to just ask the seller to prep it for you. Otherwise, usually you'll have to remove the tentacles from the body. Remove the inner cuttlebone, organs, ink sac, beak, and even the outer layer skin for better yet tender texture in the end.

Slice the tentacles to shorter sections. Score the cuttlefish meaty part in a crosshatch pattern if preferred then slice the cuttlefish into medium bite size pieces.

Prepare a pot of water and toss in one small chunk of ginger. Bring to a boil then add in the cuttlefish first. Just a moment later add in the shrimps. The point is to boil the seafood of your choice till they just got cooked through. Drain and maybe transfer to a bowl filled with icy cold water and ice cubes to quickly lower the temperature, but that's totally up to you.

I simply transfer drained seafood to serving plate and set aside. Or you can move the plate of cooked seafood to the fridge while making the sauce in the meantime. That'll help cool-down the seafood faster too.

Mix all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. If adding red chilies, destem and remove the seeds, then give the chili a fine chop before adding to the bunch. Taste and adjust if needed. The sauce should be tangy and a bit sweet, also a tiny kick from the grated ginger and grated garlic. 

Serve the sauce with boiled seafood. Ideally chilled seafood, just like how you would enjoy a classic shrimp cocktail, but Taiwanese version.

After tasting the five flavor sauce, one should be able to detect some similarities shared with western's shrimp cocktail sauce. Especially both sauces use the same base ingredient ketchup. I would say that western shrimp cocktail sauce is slightly on the milder side. Taiwan's five flavor sauce got a bit more kick due to the garlic and ginger.

Seafood-wise, I used shrimps and cuttlefish here. However, you can simply use any meaty seafood of your liking, mussels and little octopus would be two good options.

Extended reading:

• Cilantro garlic chili sauce 香菜大蒜辣椒
• Crunchy shallot and garlic chili oil

Pan-Fried Version Shrimp Toast - A Little Dim Sum Vibe at Home

Shrimp toast is like one of my must-order dishes at a dim sum restaurant. Something irresistible about that crispy toasty bread bound with umami-filled shrimp paste.

I searched a bit online and realized that I don't have to use a deep fryer for the shrimp toast, just add more oil and go with the pan-fried way will do. The key concern has been dealt with, so I rolled up my sleeves and got working in the kitchen right away. 

Pan-fried version shrimp toast - 

Ingredients (about 8 individual squares, that means two whole toast slices)?

• 300 grams shrimps
• 1 small chunk ginger
• 1 stalk scallion
• 1 small bundle cilantro (or parsley if cilantro is unavailable)
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white
• 2 white toast slices
• Some toasted white sesame seeds
• Some olive oil
• Some Thai sweet chili sauce (optional)

How?

Peel and devein the shrimps and add that to the food processor. Scrape the ginger and slice a small chunk, we will need about 1 teaspoon finely chopped portion, so roughly measure the size of the chunk you need. Add to the food processor.

Destem and slice the scallion into shorter sections. Add that to the food processor too along with small bundle of cilantro. If you can't find cilantro, parsley is your next best bet. Separate one egg into white and yolk, save the yolk for something else, and add the egg white to the processor.

We have the ingredients ready, now add the following seasonings to the food processor: 1 tablespoon of potato starch, 1/4 teaspoon of dark sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Blend till the mixture appears paste-like.

Bring out the white toast slices. I chose not to trim-off the edge of the toast, because once pan-fried, that edge actually gets extra crispy and even more delicious. 

Spread the shrimp paste onto the toast. You can use a silicon spatula to help even out the portion and smooth out the surface. Sprinkle some toasted white sesame seeds on top then use a sharp knife to cut the toast into four individual serving squares or triangles.

Drizzle more olive oil than usual to the pan, I used about 5 tablespoons. Switch to medium heat and wait till it turns warm. Transfer the toasts over paste-side down. Continue to use medium or medium low heat to sear till the paste firms up and set.

Flip and sear the toast side till slightly browned on the bottom. Note that once flipped, the toast side can get browned or even burnt faster than expected, so please pay extra attention during this step.

Have a wide plate lined with paper towel. Transfer cooked shrimp toasts over so that the paper towel can help absorbing excess oil first. Wait a short moment then transfer the shrimp toasts to the final serving plate.

You can serve with some Thai sweet chili sauce on the side if preferred, or garnish the plate with some fresh cilantro or parsley, whichever you used in the shrimp toasts.

This recipe reminds me of something else, there's one somewhat similar dish as shrimp toast, the lobster sandwich. However, I'm not talking about the western style lobster sandwich, but the one usually found at an Asian seafood restaurant. 

The shape looks just like a sandwich, the triangle kind, and usually there are three toasts stacking up then sliced into two triangular servings. So you put on some spread on the toast. As for the filling, generally there're cucumber slices, tomato slices, ham slices, and most importantly lobster meat!

Then you dip the whole thing in the batter or some places will use beaten eggs then breadcrumbs. And the sandwich will be fried as a whole. Once that's done, slice in half so you'll get two triangular servings. 

Don't you think that the shrimp toast and Asian lobster sandwich do share something similar? Hopefully I can recreate the lobster sandwich at home one day too, but for that I definitely have to use the deep-fry method, and the ingredient cost for sure will be sky skyrocketing.

Extended reading:

• Easier way to Chinese crispy pork belly

Mung Bean Milk The Rice Cooker Way 電子鍋版綠豆沙牛奶

It might sound bizarre at first, especially for westerners seeing "beans" being used in a drink, and a sweet drink too. However, popular legumes in Taiwan are usually prepared into sweet things, such as pastries, soups, or toppings for items such as shaved ice and tofu bean curd. 

And this mung bean milk is especially popular during summer days, because mung beans is considered a cooling ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. On top of that, mung bean milk is yummy too.

Mung bean milk the rice cooker way 電子鍋版綠豆沙牛奶 -

Ingredients (about 6 servings)?

• 380 grams mung beans
• 1650ml water
• 70 grams crystal sugar
• 70 grams granulated sugar
• Some milk (about 250ml per serving)

How?

Rinse and change water to wash the mung beans a few times. In the end, use some water to soak the mung beans for one hour. I simply use the inner pot for the rice cooker, since I'm going to cook the mung beans with it soon after.

Drain the soaking water then add more water again, this time it'll be the "final" water use in cooking mung beans. I used 1650ml of filtered water here. 

Use the rice cooker to cook the mung beans. If you have difference cooking options for the rice cooker, select "congee" mode, otherwise "regular" mode will do. Press to cook and just let the rice cooker does the work.

Once ready, remove the inner pot. While the whole thing is still hot, add in 70 grams of crystal sugar and 70 grams of granulated sugar.

Fold in the sugar till evenly blended. The whole thing will appear a bit soupy in the end. You can change container now for easy storage. Let the mung beans cool-off first then store in the fridge overnight with a lid on.

The day after, simply add some mung beans and milk to the blender then blend till smooth. However, if you prefer to keep some mung bean bits, that's totally fine. Some people actually like to have some tiny bits of mung beans while enjoying this drink.

For my mung bean milk consistency, I used roughly the same ratio for mung beans and milk, so that's about 250 grams of mung beans and 250ml of milk per serving. You can test it out by using less milk the first time, especially you can add more milk and blend again, making it error-free that way.

The portion of ingredients I used here will give you about a medium pot-full of cooked mung beans in the end. If you can't finish them all at once, simply store the mung beans in separate containers and "freeze" them.

It is very common to store cooked mung beans in the freezer in Taiwanese household. Sometimes people even make them into ice pops too. In fact, mung bean ice pop was one of my favorite childhood snacks. Or later on you can add more liquid, such as water, milk, or soy milk, also some more sugar and turn the mung beans into mung bean soup.

Extended reading:

• Lychee and apple black tea 荔枝蘋果紅茶
• Apple and honey black tea (the blender way)
• Cucumber and pineapple juice with a touch of mint leaves