Asian Sweet Rice Pudding with Red Bean Paste & 2017 Chinese New Year Party

It seems true that either sweet rice or red / green bean paste is well accepted in America.  Insteresting…  Maybe that is because people haven’t realized how good they are and how many amazing desserts there are when sweet rice and red beans are combined together. 

I make Asian sweet rice pudding with red bean paste every year for our Chinese New Year party.  It is a kind of tradition to present it on dinner table on the last day of lunar year.  It means better life will come with a new lunar year. 

But that is not the reason why I love it.  I love it simply because it tastes great!  And I know a lot of friends will agree with me O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

1 cup sweet rice (sticky rice)
water for cooking the rice (about 1 1/2 cups)
red bean paste
1 handful of lotus seeds
1 to 2 teaspoon lard/pork fat
sugar to taste
honey for topping
dried fruits of your choice (I use raisins and dried cranberries)
water for boiling lotus seeds (about 1 quart)

 

Directions：

Red bean paste is available in most Asian grocery stores.  They are usually sweetened.  So taste it first before you decide how much sugar you need to add to the pudding.  

I make my red bean paste from scratch.  I divide it into small batches.  Pack, seal and freeze in Ziploc bags. 

In a small pot, add water and lotus seeds.  Cook over medium low heat until the seeds become soft.  It might take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.  Drain well.

Soak sweet rice in water for at least 1 hour.  Drain and add the rice to a medium bowl.  Add water. Steam over medium heat for about 40 to 50 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in pork fat and sugar when the rice is still piping hot. 

Soak the raisins and cranberries with water.

Grease thoroughly the inside of a round shape bowl.  Add cooked lotus seeds, raisins, and cranberries to the bottom. 

Add a layer of cooked sweet rice, followed by a layer of red bean paste, and then another layer of cooked sweet rice.

Steam over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and flip the pudding upside down in a plate.  Remove the bowl.

Top with honey and serve immediately.

The pudding goes really well with Chinese tea.

I hosted a Chinese Lunar New Year party at my house.  And I served traditional Chinese food O(∩_∩)O~ 

I was really busy in the kitchen.  I could only squeeze no more than one minutes to point and shoot the dishes.  Most of them are a little blurry.  My bad O(∩_∩)O~

I printed a copy of menu and put it on the table so that everyone knew exactly what they are.  My guests that day were all Chinese.  Sorry I didn’t prepare English menu.

Beef shank and tendon stew with daikon.  The recipe can be found here

BBQ baby back ribs

Duck braised in soy sauce

Pork head cheese

Mini egg dumplings

Mung beans noodles in hot and spicy chili oil sauce

Sweet rice pudding with red bean paste

Stir-fried Sichuan style pickled string beans and ground pork

The other one is stir-fried diced lotus roots with chili paste

Pickled radish

Cucumber and wood mushroom salad

Sweet rice cake with red beans and coconut milk

It is a must have dish on lunar celebrating dinner table.

Pizzelles

I added black sesame seeds to make a bit Asian style

My friend brought another traditional dish: braised pork belly with soy sauce.  She added quail eggs and bamboo shoots to make it extra flavorful.

Another friend brought a duck stew with mushrooms and dakon.  Yum!  I refilled my bowl twice O(∩_∩)O~

Steamed garlic shrimp with fine noodles was from my friend’s husband.  Thumbs up for it too!

A cup of cappuccino was a perfect ending for this great gathering. 

Wish you all a happy 2017 O(∩_∩)O~

Sichuan Style Pickled Jerusalem Artichoke

中文：剁椒泡洋姜

Jerusalem artichoke might be considered weeds because they can grow big and tall like crazy and take up a lot of space.  I have seen miles of Jerusalem artichokes in New York suburbs.  Their little yellow flowers shine like sunflowers in May afternoon sun.  It was beautiful.  Also what a shame that people nearby have no idea what they miss here if they only admire their flowers.  The root is the delicious part.

Sichuan province is widely famous for two things in China: hot and spicy food and Sichuan style pickled vegetables.   Pickles can be found in almost every family here.  A lot of vegetables can be pickled in a dark colored clay jar sealed with water on the edge.  It is the taste of home and comfort food for all the people from Sichuan area. 

We brought a clay jar back to America on one of our trip to China.  Ever since then, it is like my kitchen is cast with a special spell.  That familiar taste of pickled vegetables from this simple jar can always take us back to home.

My friend sent me two small Jerusalem artichoke plants last spring.  They grew into two giant plants!  I dig up their roots before winter comes.

If you want continuous supply of Jerusalem artichoke, just leave behind one or two pieces of root in the ground.  They will come back the next spring. 

Rinse well under running water

Air dry Jerusalem artichoke roots for 2 to 4 hours.

Add them to the pickle jar where the food magic will take place.   They shall be ready to eat in a couple weeks; shorter or longer than that depending on their size.

They can be served as an appetizer or side dish

I like to cut them into bite size and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons garlic chili paste, 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil, and a little sugar. 

Ok, you still have no idea how to make it?  That is fine.  They can be found in Asian grocery stores. If you don’t want to go through all the trouble to make some pickle you haven’t even heard of but still curious how it taste.  Just go to the nearest Asian store.  You might also find all the kinds of other pickled vegetable on the shelves too.  Don’t be afraid to try them as well.  It might just be the new beginning of your food adventure! O(∩_∩)O~

Mocha Coffee

中文：摩卡咖啡

A few years back, we had absolute no interest in coffee at all when we first came to America.  Until one day we accidentally ordered a cup of mocha coffee, I realized how delicious coffee could be and inevitably fell in love with it.  And before I know it, both my husband and I become enthusiastic fans of coffee who roast and grind our own beans and make gorgeous fresh espresso on a daily base.

I make mocha coffee at home from time to time.  The rich sweet chocolaty flavor from mocha is so smoothing and comforting.  And the whipped cream and caramel sauce on top will literally make anything look good enough to eat.

Ingredients： (1 serving)

2 tablespoons dark chocolate
1 to 2 teaspoons dark cocoa powder
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 shorts (double shot) espresso
cup whole milk
chocolate sauce
caramel sauce
whipped cream

Directions：

In a small bowl, add dark chocolate, cocoa powder and heavy cream.  Heat in a double boiler or microwave and whisk until chocolate melts.  Transfer to a coffee cup/ mug.

Add freshly pumped double shot espresso coffee.  I am using Breville 870XL  which works great and love it much.

I don’t suggest substituting espresso with instant coffee here.  If you don’t have an espresso machine available, French pressor moka potcan make nice espresso too.

Use the espresso machine to steam the milk until it heats to 140F/60C or 150F/65C.  Add steamed milk to the coffee cup/mug too.

Top with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and caramel sauce.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder if you like

Ok, I love caramel sauce.  So I always treat myself with a little bit extra caramel sauce on top. O(∩_∩)O~

Milk Black Tea with Tapioca Pearl

We all know moka pot  can be used to make good dark espresso coffee.  Not many people know you can make tea with it too!  I love making strong tea with moka pot and then use it for my milk black tea.  It is awesome and super easy!

Ingredients： (serves 1 to 2 people)

4 black tea bags
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 to 4 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons honey
black tapioca pearl
simple syrup/ honey (optional)

 

Directions：

Black tapioca pearl  is an important ingredient in Asian milk tea.  It can be found in most Asian grocery stores or online. 

Cook the black tapioca pearl according to the cooking instruction on its package.  Drain well and soak the pearl in honey. Put aside for later use.

Mix whole milk and condensed milk.  Heat over medium low heat until the mixture almost boils.  Remove from heat.  Stir in simple syrup or honey if needed.

Add water to moka pot.  Empty all four tea bags to the pot.

Heat over medium heat.  It is exactly the same process as making coffee.

The tea starts to come out on top.

Smells good

Ok, now we have a small pot of gorgeous black tea.

Divide the tea into two cups along with cooked black tapioca pearl.

Add milk mixture

Stir everything together.  Serve immediately with large milkshake straws.

Tuna poke

中文：金枪鱼POKE

Tuna and avocado are such a great pair that I always put them together such as in sushi and poke.  They both have mild flavors and similar soft and oily texture that will literally melt in your mouth. 

Tuna poke is a great dish for those who love tuna and avocado as much as I do and don’t want to spend too much time on rolling sushi at home.  It is so simple that the whole dish can be done in 5 minutes from start to finish; but the flavor is so great that you want to make it again and again. O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients:

10 oz sashimi grade tuna
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1 to 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
green onion, chopped or sliced
minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon honey
1 to 2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce (optional)
1/2 avocado
sea salt / kosher salt to taste
freshly cooked rice (optional)

 

Directions：

Thaw the sashimi grade tuna in refrigerator.  Pat dry with paper towel and then cut into bite size cubes.  

Add onion, toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, green onion, ginger, honey, teriyaki sauce and saltBTW, you can tell I use frozen green onion here.  The fresh one will do just fine.  I always grow a lot of green onion in our garden in spring time and harvest them in fall.  Rinse them well under running water; chop them up and bag them with Ziploc bags.  They will last the whole winter and it is quite convenient for me too O(∩_∩)O~

Mix with a wooden spoon.

Remove avocado’s skin and seed.  Cut the fresh into bite size too.  Gently fold into the tuna.

It is very easy and simple.  Try it yourself!  O(∩_∩)O~