STIR-FRIED SPICY PORK AND DAIKON

中文：五花肉炒萝卜干2

I posted this recipe before.  It is so good that I just keep cooking this dish.  I just bought a large box of daikon so that I don’t have to worry about running out daikon again.  O(∩_∩)O~

Ingredients：

1 piece of pork belly (about 1 1/2pound)
1 1/2 cup dried daikon (also available in Asian grocery store)
2/3 cup dried red chili peppers
2 teaspoons Sichuan pepper corns
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1 to 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
3 to 4 tablespoon chicken stock/ water
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
chopped onion
2 to 3 tablespoons oil for cooking
salt to taste

Directions：

Dried daikon is available in Asian grocery store.  You can also make it at home.  It is very easy.  All you need to do is to peel the daikon, cut it into string cheese size pieces and then air dry in a food dehydrator and under the sun.  I prefer to air dry daikon pieces under the hot summer sun.  It takes two to three days to get dried inside and out.

Keep any extra dried daikon in Ziplock bag and store in the refrigerator.  It should be able to last a really long time. 

Two hours before cooking, soak dried dakai in water.  After it is totally rehydrate, rinse a couple times under running water.

Thinly slice the pork belly.

Dried red chili peppers are sometimes covered in dust.  I like to rinse and drain them and then cut into pieces.

Heat a wok over high heat.  Add oil, and then add sliced pork belly.  Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.  Stir fry over high heat until the pork turns slightly golden brown.  Add garlic, Sichuan peppercorns.  Stir fry until the spices are toasted with pork fat.  Add daikon; stir fry for another couple minutes; add chicken stock/ water, oyster sauce, rice cooking wine and salt.  Continue to stir fry until all the liquid is absorbed by pork and daikon.  Sprinkle with chopped green onion and transfer to a big bowl or plate.  Serve immediately. 

Sweet rice cake balls with black sesame and purple sweet potato

中文：紫薯黑芝麻醪糟汤圆

Purple sweet potato is one of my favorite.  Unfortunately we don’t usually see them in American grocery stores.  I will stock up on them whenever I drive to Detroit area where there is a big Asian grocery store that sells all kinds of Asian goodies. 

You can steam, roast, bake or even grill them.  Whatever you can do with pumpkins and sweet potatoes, you can do it with purple sweet potatoes.  Purple sweet potatoes have a denser texture than regular sweet potatoes.   They are starchier, sweeter and I guess healthier. 

I make some sweet rice cake balls and put some purple sweet potatoes.  Ta-dah!  I have a bowl of gorgeous sweet rice cake balls! 

Ingredients for sweet rice cake balls：

1 cup of sweet rice flour
1 teaspoon oil
1 tablespoon sugar
water
1 medium size purple sweet potato, steamed
1/2 cup fermented sweet rice (homemade or available in Asian grocery store too)

Black sesame filling：

1/4 cup toasted black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon butter

Directions：

Add black sesame seeds and brown sugar to a coffee grinder.  Grind for 20 to 30 seconds.

Microwave the butter on high for 20 to 30 seconds to melt it.  Add honey and ground sesame; mix well and refrigerate until it hardens.   Equally divide them into 20 or 30 pieces.  And roll each into a ball shape.

Peel the purple sweet potato.  Use a fork or food processor to puree it.

Combine sweet rice flour, oil and sugar in a medium bowl.   Gradually add water while whisking with chopsticks or a wooden spoon.  Stop when there is no dry flour left.

Equally divide the sweet rice dough into 20 to 30 pieces and roll each piece into a ball shape too.

Press down sweet rice cake ball with a thumb, add sesame filling, wrap it up and roll into a sweet rice ball again.  Repeat it until all sweet rice cake balls are finished.

Bring a large pot of water to boil on high heat.   Add sweet rice cake balls.  Cook until they float to the top.   Stir gently occasionally. 

Reserve about 2 to 3 cups cooking water.  Add purple sweet potatoes puree and sweet fermented rice.  Cook on medium high heat until it boils.  Serve it immediately with cooked sweet rice cake balls.

Both purple sweet potatoes and fermented rice are quite sweet.  I don’t need extra sugar here.  If you have a sweet tooth, add more sugar to the sweet potato puree.

Isn’t it beautiful?  The black sesame filling inside is a really nice touch. O(∩_∩)O~

Crème brulee

中文：焦糖布蕾

Crème brulee recipe was posted before.  It is here: http://www.yankitchen.com/blog/2014/11/1/-2  

I have one egg yolk left from macaroon earlier, so that is a perfect excuse for making crème brulee!

O(∩_∩)O~ 

I halve this recipe since I have only one egg yolk and only two of us in the house.  There should be enough to serve two to three people.

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla exact (vanilla beans are preferable)
1/4 cup sugar (increase sugar amount if you have a sweet tooth)
1 cup heavy cream
sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F/150C.

In a medium bowl, add egg yolks and sugar; beat until they are well combined. The mixture should be creamy and light yellow color. 

Add heavy cream to a small saucepan, heat over medium low heat until the cream becomes hot but not yet boils.  Remove from heat and spoon over onto egg yolk mixture. Whisk while adding the hot cream.

Divide the cream among two to three shallow ramekins.  Drain the cream to get rid of any big air bubbles if necessary.

Fill the baking pan with hot water.  Place ramekins in the center of the baking pan.  Bake 28 to 32 minutes.

Refrigerate them for at least 2 hours.

Refrigerate for another 30 to 40 minutes.

Diced spinach and dried smoked tofu salad

中文：香干拌菠菜

It is a very easy and simple Chinese side dish.  The most popular versions are made with wild vegetable found in the field in spring season.  I made simpler by using spinach because it is more accessible in America. 

Ingredients：

2 pieces dried smoked tofu (available in any Asian grocery store and some American grocery stores too)
1 bunch spinach
1/3  to 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2  to 1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt to taste
water for blanching spinach

Directions：

Dice the smoked tofu into small pea size pieces. 

Rinse the spinach under running water.  Blanch it in boiling water for 5 seconds and then shock it in icy or cold water.  The vibrant green color can be kept by doing so.

Add spinach, tofu, sugar, sesame oil and salt to a medium bowl.  Mix well with a fork or wooden spoon until everything is well combined together. 

It can be served immediately, but the longer it sits, the better it gets. 

Sichuan pickled vegetable and minced pork

 中文：超下饭的四川泡菜炒肉末

Sichuan pickled vegetable is comfort food for a lot of Chinese people.  It is also the key and soul in Sichuan cuisine.  I learned how to make Sichuan pickled vegetable years ago.  But I haven’t been quite successful until I brought back a Sichuan style pickle jar from my last trip back to China.

Making Sichuan pickled vegetable is like making Korean people making kimchi.  Every family has its own secret and special flavor and taste.  I learn from the best one I know: my mother-in-law who has been making them for dozens of years.  Well, I will write another article on how to make Sichuan pickled vegetable at home.  Today, I just want to focus on this popular minced pork dish which is quite popular on my family’s dinner table. O(∩_∩)O~ 

Ingredients：

1 bowl of pickled cabbage (about 1/5 to 1/4 head cabbage)
10 to 12 red pickled chilies
200 to 250 minced pork
2 gloves of garlic
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
8 to 10 dried chilies (yes, I know, we love spicy food)
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 to 4 tablespoon cooking oil

Directions：

Dice the pickled cabbage, pickled chilies and dried chilies.  Peel and slice the garlic.

Heat a wok over high heat.  Add oil, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies and pickled chilies.  Sautee for a minute, add minced pork, black pepper, cooking wine and soy sauce.  Stir fry them over high heat until the pork is golden brown.  It is time to add diced pickled cabbage, sugar and salt.

Stir fry everything together on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat and serve immediately. 

This dish goes really well with cooked rice.  Remember to prepare extra rice when making this dish because the rice will go really fast! O(∩_∩)O~