Chinese stir-fried snow pea shoots 

Heat neutral oil in a wok, then add sliced garlic (about 10 cloves).  When fragrant, add about 2 lbs of fresh snow pea shoots (they will reduce volume when cooked).  Season lightly with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper, and sauté on medium-high heat until the shoots are tender.  Serve immediately.  Thank you to my friend Amy… Continue reading Chinese stir-fried snow pea shoots 

Chinese bean thread noodles with enoki mushrooms 

I love enoki mushrooms, and when I saw them at H-Mart this weekend, I decided to make this dish.  Once you prep all of the ingredients, the cooking time is quite short. Soak 2 oz dried black mushrooms in warm water; when soft, drain and cut into slices.  Separately, take a package (about 14 oz)… Continue reading Chinese bean thread noodles with enoki mushrooms 

Korean steamed ginger infused grouper with zucchini ribbon salad

I saw this on Judy Joo’s new Cooking Channel program, Korean Food Made Simple, and found it on her blog.  We couldn’t find sea bass, so we tried grouper (but I had to remove the skin due to scales).  The recipe is here:  http://www.judyjoo.com/2014/05/06/korean-food-made-simple-weekly-chew-steamed-ginger-infused-sea-bass-with-zucchini (May 2014)

Korean-style rice ball (joo muk bap)  

Inspired by my cousin Nam’s photo of a snack she recently enjoyed, I tried my hand at making joo muk bap (literally, fist rice because it is made by hand) withingredients I had in my pantry.  Spread 2 cups cooked short-grain rice in a wide plate (I used an 8x8 baking dish), then season lightly with salt, Japanese… Continue reading Korean-style rice ball (joo muk bap)  

Hainanese poached chicken with tomato and cucumber garnish

Place a whole chicken (skin on, about 4 lb) in a large Dutch oven, pour in enough water to just cover the chicken, and add a sliced onion, 8 whole garlic cloves, 2 large knobs ginger (bruised with skin on), 15 whole black peppercorns, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, and 1 Tbsp Maggi… Continue reading Hainanese poached chicken with tomato and cucumber garnish

Burmese golden chicken noodles (nang-pyar thoke)

This recipe is from my friend Juju, who made it a few weeks ago.  Here, I modified slightly based on ingredients I had on hand, and my penchant for marinating meats before cooking them.  Marinate 1 lb boneless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces) in 1 ½ Tbsp paprika, 1 ½ tsp cayenne, ¾ tsp… Continue reading Burmese golden chicken noodles (nang-pyar thoke)

Chinese minced chicken in lettuce cup (gung bo gai ding)

This recipe calls for diced chicken, but we used minced chicken instead. Marinate 1 lb chicken in 1 tsp each sugar and sesame oil, 1 ½ tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp Shao-Hsing wine, 1 tsp microplaned ginger, 1 ½ Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and a pinch white pepper for 30 mins. In the… Continue reading Chinese minced chicken in lettuce cup (gung bo gai ding)