Summer Vegetable Curry, I Mean Loads of Veggies

Versatility is one of the goods for this vegetable curry recipe. You don't have to follow exactly what I used in the curry. I mean, if you can't find bamboo shoots, that's fine. Maybe go with squash or even artichoke instead. Or perhaps use other variety of eggplant, let it be the long kind or the round kind, it won't change the flavor as much.

Summer vegetable curry - 

Ingredients (should be enough for 5 to 6 portions)?

• 500 grams bamboo shoot
• 1 eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 500 grams ground pork
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Some quinoa basmati rice (or other rice grains)

How?

Destem and dice the eggplant. Peel and dice the bamboo shoot if using fresh ones. In the case of vacuum-packed already-prepped version, simply cut into cubes. Destem, remove the seeds, then dice the yellow bell pepper. Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a wok or a big pot and switch to medium low heat. Add in garlic along with fennel seeds. Stir-fry till aromatic but not burn the garlic.

Add in ground pork. This time you can turn up to medium heat. Stir-fry the pork till color changes, like whiter color. Add in onion along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for couple more minutes.

Add in all cubed veggies and give it a quick stir-fry. Continue to cook for few more minutes, mostly depending on the texture preferred for the veggies.

Add in 4 tablespoons of curry powder,1 teaspoon of garam masala, 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of ketchup. Mix till blended. Continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. I actually added few more sprinkles of salt. Once all set, scoop and serve over steamed rice.

Usually brown rice is the main grain diet in my household, but this time I think white rice can better compliment the complex aroma from the curry. So to boost up some nutritional value, I added quinoa to the basmati rice.

I know I did say versatility in the beginning of this post. However, try to stick with bamboo shoots whenever possible. Even after extended cooking time, the cubed bamboo shoots remain refreshing and crunchy, which I really enjoy, and I think you will too.

Other curry recipes:

• Kuku paka coconut chicken curry
• Curry flavored beehoon/rice vermicelli stir-fry 咖哩炒米粉
• Tomato curry and chorizo spaghettini 番茄咖哩義大利麵
• No butter needed curry spices roasted chicken legs

Beef and King Oyster Mushroom Stir-Fry With Miso Tomato Sauce

Have you ever tried Taiwan yellow cattle? If you get a chance to visit Taiwan, please go seek any restaurant that sell Taiwan yellow cattle. Let it be beef noodles or beef hot pot, you'll be amazed by its distinct beefy aroma that cannot be found nearly anywhere else. Not high-end Japanese wagyu nor USDA prime, only Taiwan's yellow cattle.

That being said, well, as much as I would like Taiwan yellow cattle for this recipe, it's not always an easy find even in Taiwan. Of course you can buy it from local butchers, but Taiwan yellow cattle is such a popular item and usually sold out fast. And I rarely see Taiwan yellow cattle being sold at a fancy supermarket.

Plus, Taiwan yellow cattle can be quite expensive sometime. Definitely costs more compared to USDA choice but still cheaper compared to wagyu. But we're making a stir-fry here, there is no need to bring out the wagyu beef. Just try to use any beef that is on the leaner side but won't turn tough and chewy after cooking.

Beef and king oyster mushroom stir-fry with miso tomato sauce - 

Ingredients?

• 400 grams tender beef
• 230 grams king oyster mushroom
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 onion
• Some olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons yellow miso (not the very dark color kind)
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

How?

Destem and slice the tomatoes into wedges. Peel and do the same for onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Slice the king oyster mushroom to big bite size chunks.

Slice the beef to big chunks too, which will give you a fuller bite in the end. So make sure to choose tender beef that won't toughen up after cooking. Otherwise that fuller bite will become chewy bite instead. Season and rub the beef with some salt and black pepper.

Bring out a big pan or a wok, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil and switch to medium high heat. Once warmed up, add in the beef and sear till some sides colored or even slightly browned. Scoop out first.

Still using the same pan or wok, wipe out excess oil if needed. Continue using medium high heat. This time add in onion and garlic. Sear till slightly browned but not burning the garlic bits.

Add in king oyster mushroom and tomato wedges. Cook till tomato turn slightly smushy or charred on sides.

Add the sauce mixture, which are 2 tablespoons of miso, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, and 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. Depending on your preference, use 2 tablespoons of ketchup for a sweeter taste.  Mix and cook for one more minute.

Mix back the beef chunks. Stir-fry till evenly blended. Scoop to serving plate and crack some more black pepper on top.

It's a rare find to see beef dishes in my household, especially I'm more leaning towards white meat when planning homemade meals. Usually chicken, fish, and pork are the main protein on our dining table.

So once a long while, it's like a satisfaction boost for Mister, who gets to enjoy biting into that chunky beef. Well, I also tend to include beef in our meals after periods, so it's like a happy meal for Mister and some iron boost for the lady. 

Extended reading:

• Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon 日式豆皮牛肉烏龍麵
• Clear stewed beef soup with daikon and corn 無油煙版清燉牛肉湯

Potato and Dried Seaweed Flakes Pancake 馬鈴薯海苔煎餅

One big whole serving of savory pancake has been a thing for me lately. Since I haven't make such food for years, I can't believe I forgot how easy and hassle free it is. Literally, I mean literally you just mix all the ingredients together, pour them to the pan and just sear till slightly browned on both sides. 

And it's hard to go wrong with all sorts of savory pancake. Well, only if you messed up the consistency of the batter, but even that it's usually kind of hard to go wrong. Give it a try once and you'll know what I mean.

Potato and dried seaweed flakes pancake 馬鈴薯海苔煎餅 - 

Ingredients?

• 2 medium potatoes
• 4 tablespoons dried seaweed flakes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

How?

Peel and grate the potatoes into strips, I actually hand-cut it myself, quite some work there. Add the potato strips to a container filled with water, preferably drinking water. Let it soak for 10 minutes.

After some time, you'll start to see some starch being released to the water. Pour that out. Dry and maybe use a paper towel to future remove any moisture from the potato strips. Transfer to another clean and dry container.

From there, also add in 4 tablespoons of dried seaweed flakes, 1 1/2 tablespoons of toasted white sesame seeds, 4 tablespoons of corn starch, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix till evenly blended.

Bring out a round and flat pan, drizzle about 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and switch to medium heat. Wait till warm then pour in the potato batter. Even the batter out to create consistent thickness throughout. 

Sear till the bottom turns slightly browned then flip and sear the other side till the same.

Once ready, invert the pancake to a serving plate. You can pre-slice them to triangular pieces if preferred. I simply like to tear and eat along the way.

The seasoning listed should be enough, especially if you're going to enjoy the potato pancake with some ketchup on the side. So keep that in mind if some sort of dipping sauce will be involved. That means don't over-season the batter in the beginning.

Dashimaki Tamago だし巻き卵

So what's the difference between a tamagoyaki and a dashimaki tamago? Well, they are basically the same thing, just that the dashimaki tamago has more Japanese stock mixed in, so the texture is more pillowy or juicy so to speak.

I also think that Dashimaki tamago has a more mouthful name. Sometimes I would just explain this dish to others as dashi tamagoyaki, easier to be understood by westerners. 

Dashimaki tamago だし巻き卵 - 

Ingredients (about 3 to 4 pieces)?

• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon Japanese tsuyu
• 1 teaspoon mirin
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Some olive oil

Dashi/Japanese stock:

• 800ml drinkable water
• 1 medium piece kombu
• 10 grams katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

How?

Start with homemade Japanese stock/dashi. Use a medium pot and add in one medium piece of kombu. Use a scissor to cut into smaller pieces if the size doesn't fit. Pour in 800ml of drinkable water and turn on the heat.

Keep it just under boiling temperature. Once hot enough, turn-off the heat and let the kombu soak in there for an hour.

Later on bring the pot close to boiling temperature again. Once achieved, heat-off and add in 10 grams of bonita flakes. Soak for couple minutes.

Drain out the ingredients and keep the stock, that'll be our basic Japanese stock/dashi. Wait till cool enough before using it dashimaki tamago, at least cool enough so that it won't cook the egg when beating together.

For the egg mixture, crack 4 eggs to a bowl, I used a measuring cup instead. Also add in 4 tablespoons of dashi, 1 teaspoon of Japanese tsuyu, 1 teaspoon of mirin, and 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Beat till the sugar has been fully dissolved.

Use a tamagoyaki pan, also have a piece of paper towel folded into a square on the side. Drizzle just a little bit of olive oil to the pan and use that paper towel to evenly smear the oil throughout the area.

Switch to medium or medium low heat and wait till the pan warms up a little. Scoop some egg mixture to the pan and sear till the bottom almost set. Start rolling the egg from the outside then inward, to create almost a tube in the end. 

Push that tube outward then use the paper towel again to smear some more oil to the empty area. Scoop some egg mixture to the empty area. Meanwhile lift up the egg tube a bit, so that the newly added egg mixture can flow underneath. It'll help binding the earlier egg tube with the new layer.

So again, wait till the bottom seems set then roll in the tube to form an even bigger tube. By now the shape should resemble a rectangular block more than a tube. Repeat the step one more time if you prefer a bigger sized dashimaki tamago in the end. Once all set, carefully move the dashimaki tamago to serving plate.

I'm using single serving tamagoyaki pan here, so the final portion is perfect for one serving. If you're using bigger tamagoyaki pan, most of the time you can slice the final egg block and turn into few individual servings.

You'll definitely have way more dashi left after making dashimaki tamago. You can use that as a stock for other dishes. What I did this time is that I used the leftover dashi to cook the rice, substituting the usual plain water. It'll give you a lightly flavored rice as a result, gentle yet won't overpower any other dishes served with the grains.

Other tamagoyaki recipes:

• Stronger tasting tamagoyaki with a brush of sesame oil
• Kanikama and shiso tamagoyaki 蟹肉棒紫蘇玉子燒

Salmon and Dashi Takikomi Gohan Using Brown Rice 炊き込みご飯

No fuss rice cooker recipe, especially hassle-free for people who doesn't want to deal with greasy kitchen in the end.

This time I'm using brown rice and homemade Japanese stock. However, if you would like to skip the stock making process, simply add some Japanese dashi powder instead, can't be easier than that.

Salmon and dashi takikomi gohan using brown rice -

Ingredients (about 6 portions)?

• 4 rice measuring cups brown rice
• 2 or about 440 grams salmon fillets
• 700ml Japanese dashi (or use some dashi powder instead)
• 1 medium fried bean curd skin 油豆腐皮
• 1/4 cup hijiki
• 1 small bundle or about 250 grams Japanese mustard spinach コマツナ
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 pack or about 100 grams brown beech mushroom
• 2 tablespoons Japanese tsuyu

How?

Rinse the brown rice, basically just like how you would prepare the rice usually. Once ready, drain and set aside first. 

You can make the Japanese dashi from scratch by soaking the kombu and katsuobushi in water. I have an old post Japanese fried tofu pouch and beef udon, from there you will find more details on how to make Japanese dashi.

However, if it seems too troublesome, simply add some Japanese dashi powder to warm water instead, or use any sort of already made Japanese stock.

Add 2 tablespoons of Japanese tsuyu to the rice then pour in dashi till it reaches about 3.5 cups measurement inside the rice cooker pot. Mine was about 700ml. Give it a quick mix. Set aside while prepping other ingredients.

It's important to soak the rice first especially we are using brown rice. Otherwise the grains can be too tough or not fully cooked through in the end if skipping the soaking time.

Double making sure there are no bones hidden somewhere inside the salmon. Remove the skin before use.

Either use hot water to rinse the fried bean curd skin or soak in hot water for a short moment. This will help drawing out excess oil from the tofu skin. Once ready, squeeze out the liquid then cut into strips.

Peel and cut the carrot to strips, like julienne the carrot, but it doesn't have to be too thin. Trim-off the mushroom ends then separate to individual pieces. Destem the Japanese mustard spinach and cut to shorter sections. You can use bok choy instead or other similar Asian leafy greens.

Transfer prepped ingredients to the rice cooker. I would add the carrot first then leafy greens last, putting bean curd strips, hijiki, and mushroom in between.

There is no need to mix the ingredients with rice. Mostly because we are using brown rice, so I prefer to keep the rice on the bottom, suppose to get fully cooked-through more easily that way.

On the very top, transfer salmon fillets over.

Press that button on the rice cooker and simply cook away. If you have a specific setting for takikomi gohan, choose that instead.

Once ready, remove the inner pot from the rice cooker.

Remove the fish fillets. Fluff the rice and make sure all the ingredients are evenly blended together.

Roughly break the salmon into large chunks then add back to the rice mixture. Just give it a few gentle mix again. The salmon rice should be ready to serve.

Remember not to over-mix the rice once adding back the fish. We are aiming for chunky salmon texture, so over-mixing can cause the salmon to break into tiny pieces instead, not good.

Other takikomi gohan recipes:

• Pork bamboo shoot and shiitake takikomi gohan
• Chicken and gobo takikomi gohan (鶏ごぼうの炊き込みご飯)
• Japanese hijiki no takikomi gohan ひじきの炊き込みご飯

Seared Eggplant with Dried Shrimp and Garlic 醬燒蝦米茄子排

If you want a little change on the usual ways of cooking eggplant, this post might be the right place to look for.

Let it be sliced, diced, or even mushed, these are the common ways to prepare eggplant in both eastern and western countries. But how about steak-shaped? Or more so like a fillet. 

Ready the eggplant into a big square or rectangular steak was somewhat a fun thing to do over the past year. There are many short videos on social media, mostly for Chinese and Japanese recipes using seared eggplant steak. The basic idea is the same, steam then sear the eggplant steak first then added with somewhat heavier seasonings. And here's my version of the recipe.

Seared eggplant with dried shrimp and garlic 醬燒蝦米茄子排 -

Ingredients?

• 1 long eggplant
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimps
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 stalk scallion
• Some toasted white sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine 米酒
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

How?

Peel the eggplant then cut into 2 or 3 long sections.

Steam the eggplant for about 10 minutes. Once ready, remove and wait till cool enough to handle by hand.

After cooling off a bit, make a slit on the eggplant but don't cut all the way done. Gently spread out the eggplant from the cut to flatten it. Score one side, usually the top side of the eggplant steak if needed to help it to stay flattened. 

While preparing the eggplant, soak the dried shrimps in drinkable room temperature water for 10 minutes. Once ready, drain and pat dry then give the dried shrimps a fine chop.

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and chop the scallion, we are going to use the green part only for garnish in the end.

Have a pan ready and drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil or other preferred cooking oil. Switch to medium high heat and wait till warm. Add in flattened eggplant pieces scoring side down. Sear till the bottom turn slightly golden, flip and sear to other side till golden again.

Once ready, have a big plate lined with paper towel. Transfer eggplant over. The paper towel will help in absorbing excess oil.

Still using the same pan, drizzle more oil if not enough to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the dried shrimps and garlic. Stir-fry and cook till aromatic. It might be slightly darkened but definitely not burning the garlic.

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Chinese rice cooking wine, and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Cook till the sauce has been reduced a little.

Add back the eggplant and make sure both sides are evenly coated with the sauce. Once checked, transfer to serving plate. Sprinkle toasted white sesame seeds all over then garnish with some chopped scallion greens.

This is my Chinese way of prepping eggplant "steak." I've also scrolled through some Japanese recipes, in which they turn the eggplant into a more kabayaki style of seasoning. And the look highly resembles unagi don, one of the Japanese classic rice dishes. 

That would be fun too, with the sweet and savory flavor often found in Japanese dishes, I suppose you can even sprinkle some sansho powder for a pop of refreshing aroma. 

Other recipes using eggplant:

• Eggplant rollatini with marinara and pesto sauce
• Eggplant and minced pork spaghetti 魚香茄子義大利麵
• Cubed eggplant and ground pork stir-fry with spicy fermented bean paste
• Eggplant and tomato stewed rice 雙茄豬肉燴飯

Bitter Gourd Cooked With Chinese Pickled Cucumber 壺底油瓜煮苦瓜

Westerners might not know about this dish, but it's one of the common food that will show up on Taiwanese's dining table. The basic idea is to cook the bitter gourd with some sort of Chinese canned pickled melon. However, I used pickled cucumber instead, which comes with denser taste plus a bit sweeter touch. 

The final flavor is somewhat similar doesn't matter you use pickled melon or pickled cucumber, just look for Chinese canned version, and you'll get the correct taste in the end.

Bitter gourd cooked with Chinese pickled cucumber 壺底油瓜煮苦瓜 - 

Ingredients?

• 1 white bitter gourd
• 4 medium pieces Chinese pickled cucumber 壺底油瓜
• 4 tablespoons juice of Chinese pickled cucumber
• 1 small bundle cilantro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or other preferred cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon rock sugar
• Some salt (optional)

How?

Cut the bitter gourd in half lengthwise them scrape off the seeds and membrane. Slice the bitter gourd to rectangular chunks. Chop the cilantro and set aside for later use.

Into the pan, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil or other preferred cooking oil. We are using a bit more oil to semi-sear and semi-fried the bitter gourd, so don't go too easy with the amount of oil used.

Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets hot. Add in the bitter gourd and sear till slightly golden on some sides.

Add in 4 medium pieces of Chinese pickled cucumber or pickled melon along with 4 tablespoons of that canned juice. Also add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. 

Adjust the heat so the whole thing can keep at a medium bubbling stage. Cook till the sauce has been reduced a little. You can break the pickled cucumber to smaller pieces while cooking down the sauce. 

Add in 1/2 teaspoon of rock sugar. Cook till the sugar has been fully dissolved. Remember to flip the bitter gourd once a while to ensure even cooking. 

Taste and adjust if needed. In the case of not salty enough, add salt instead of soy sauce.

Plate and garnish with chopped cilantro.

I used white bitter gourd here because the vendor told me it's less bitter compared to the green varieties. However, it's up to you on the bitterness level. On top of that though, I think white bitter gourd looks better when cooked in dark sauce. That brownish color literally translate the taste as more flavorful in my head. 

Extended reading:

• Bitter gourd stir-fry with salted black beans

Kinpira Gobo きんぴらごぼう (Burdock Root Cooked In Japanese Seasonings)

Some people like to soak the gobo, that's burdock root in Japanese, in water once peeled and cut. By doing so, it can help the burdock root from turning to darker color. But please don't bother for this recipe, especially we are going to cook the burdock root in soy sauce, that means eventually the whole thing will get a brownish hue in the end anyways.

Kinpira gobo きんぴらごぼう - 

Ingredients?

• 1 medium burdock root
• 1 medium carrot
• 300 grams ground pork
• 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sake (Japanese rice cooking wine)
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

How?

Peel and cut the burdock root to strips, just like julienne it. Peel and cut the carrot to strips too. I used a grater instead for the carrot to save more time and energy, not a fan of prepping carrot with knife here.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to the pan and switch to medium heat. Once warmed up, add in ground pork and stir-fry till it changes to somewhat white color, like 90% cooked-through.

Add in burdock root strips and carrot strips. Mix once a while and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the main seasonings for this classic Japanese recipe, which is soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. The ratio is about 2:1:1:1, but I did use more sugar for a sweeter taste. This dish is supposed to be on a slightly sweeter side in case you never tried it before.

Stir-fry and cook for another 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. It should be somewhat sweet and savory to the taste.

Towards the end, mix in toasted white sesame seeds. Scoop to serving container and enjoy.

This dish can even served cold or under room temperature. 

When traveling in Japan, sometimes you'll find kinpira gobo as one of the side dishes in a bento box. In which the bento is usually served cold or under room temperature, since Japanese don't necessarily heat up their bento boxes most of the time. So to enjoy this dish cold, no problem.

Other recipes using burdock root:

• Chicken and gobo takikomi gohna (鶏ごぼうの炊き込みご飯)
• Not quite the regular miso soup, it's tonjiru time (豚汁)