Famous Asian Recipes Blog

Mei cai kou rou is surely one of the best dish among Hakka Food. Whenever you think about the Hakka, this dish would certainly comes into your mind even if you are not very familiar with Chinese cuisines.

Some people are confused with the term mei cai and moy choy,  but this is just a different pronunciation of Mandarin and Hakka dialect. Mei cai is actually a kind of preserved dried vegetable which can be obtained in salty and sweet type. It is best to get both flavor blended into this steamed pork dish and I strongly recommend to mix both salty and sweet mei cai.

Mei cai need to be thoroughly clean to remove the fine salt and sand. Rinse it under clean running water until it is clean and then soak it for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour to remove the saltiness. It would be very unpleasant if you find the dish sandy and too saltish only after you have done all the hard work. So, make sure this preserved vegetables is well cleaned before used.

Mei Cai Kou Rou Recipe

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One of the best way to prevent deep-fried chicken from burnt on the outside and yet you can keep your fried-chicken juicy inside is to wrap it up when deep-frying.

There are many types of materials you can use to wrap the well seasoned chicken. Foil is most convenience but the disadvantage is that it has higher heat resistance and need more time to cook.  Rice paper, cellophane paper or other greaseproof paper is more suitable for deep-frying process. Check out this Chinese recipe in my collection.

Paper-Wrapped Chicken Recipe

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It is commonly known that Nyonya cuisines are fusion dishes from Chinese cooking, Malay cooking and Thai cooking.

This characteristic is obvious in some of the recipes.

The Nyonya Black Fungus Salad or Kerabu Bok Nee is a typical example as Bok Nee (black fungus) is a very traditional Chinese ingredient, grated coconut, ginger bud (bunga kantan) and sambal belachan are popular ingredients used in Malay cooking and the sweet and sour finishing touch is very much of Thai style.

This combination of different cooking culture although simple to prepare, is a wonderful appetizer that stimulate your taste bud.

Nyonya Black Fungus Salad Recipe

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I am quite surprised to learn that growing water-spinach is prohibited in some states in America. This fast growing plant is said to be growing at the rate of 4 inches a day and is a significant threat to native plant habitats and flood control.

In Asia,  water-spinach has been one of the most common vegetables that consumed by every household. This vegetable dose not possessed very strong taste but has a crunchy texture that simply taste good even if it is just quick fried with garlic oil and seasoning.

In most South East Asian countries where people prefer spicy flavor, sambal (chili paste) and belachan (shrimp paste) is the most popular combination to prepare a stir-fried water-spinach dish.

Water-Spinach with Sambal Belachan Recipe

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Tofu is one of the most common ingredients in Chinese cooking. Made from beans and rich in protein, Tofu is a good substitute of meat for the Vegetarians. Tofu itself dose not possessed strong taste, but it is the mild flavor that makes it a perfect ingredients to blend in well with either meat, seafood or even with other vegetables.

Ther are many types of Tofu available in the market. You may think it is simple task to choose what Tofu to use, but still that require some basic knowledge. The Firm White Tofu are normally used for panfried and then mix stir-fried with other ingredients. The Tofu with softer texture are used for steamed, braised or stewed.

See how a delicious Clay Pot Tofu is cooked in the recipe Here .

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Cashew nuts are good source of protein and fibre, rich in minerals and vitamins. It is not only nutritious but is tasty as well. Cashew nuts are perfect snack food to go along with beer and  good ingredients for Chinese cooking recipe that harmonious well with stir-fried meat especially chicken and beef.

Cashew nuts sold in the market are usually roasted, and that makes things easier in the kitchen. All you need to do is to add it to the dish and toss well before dish up.

View Stir-fry beef with cashew nuts recipe here.

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This cucumber looking vegetable fruit is a common dish served in most Asian families.

The Asians, especially Chinese believed bitter gourd has medicinal effect on various ailments like Blood Disorders, Cholera, Diabetes Mellitus, Eye problem, Hangover and Piles. Besides, bitter gourd is also high in diatery fibre, low calories and rich in vitamins and minerals.

But how do you turn this bitter stuff into a delicious dish that well liked by adults or at least acceptable by the kids?

Learn the Secret Recipe Here.

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Today is actually not a day to celebrate because this is the day to remember a patriotic poet by the name of Qu Yuan who committed suicide 2500 years ago who wanted to send a strong protest to the King of Chu Guo in China for not listening to his advice in governing the state.

He was drown in the river and the prople who loved and respected him sent out boats to look for his body and at the same time thrown rice dumling packed in bamboo leaves to feed the fishes in the river hoping to preserved his body from fish bites.

This is how the tradition of Dragon Boat race and the making of Rice Dumplings has passed down from generation to generation to remember this great poet.

There are many types of rice dumpling or “zong zhi ” from the many clans of Chinese. The most popular is none other than this glutinous rice dumpling wrapping up the stewed pork, chestnuts, dried prawns and salted egg yolk.

View Recipes Here.

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Chinese believed that Lotus Seeds is nutritious and is also a good medicinal food to clear body heat and enhance stamina.

Lotus Seeds that is sold in the market are usually dried and hard that you need to soak it overnight to make it soft and eatable.

Lotus Seeds can also be prepared in other ways especially in lotus paste form which is used extensively in Chinese pastries, or cooked in syrup and crystallized into candies. But the most common use of Lotus Seeds is still as an ingredients in Chinese cooking especially for soup, broth, stew with meat or stir-fry with vegetables.

See my simple and nutritious recipe of steamed Baked Ham with Lotus Seeds and top with smooth, slightly sweeten gravy.

Check out recipe Here.

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This is a  quick and easy dish to cook if you have all the ingredients prepared before hand. Even the preparation of ingredients won’t take you too much trouble because I am using all very basic stuff for this delicious dish. You can use beef instead of pork if you like because the marinades and cooking method is very similar.

Ingredients

300 grams pork (tenderloin, sliced), 2 cloves garlic (crushed), 20 thin slices of young ginger,  2 stalks of spring onions (sectioned), 1 cup of water

Marinades

1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, pinch of salt and a dash of white pepper powder, 1 teaspoon of Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine or Huadiao), 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of water

Seasoning

1 teaspoon of oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine, 1 teaspoon of fermented bean paste (dou jiang), sugar, salt and white pepper powder to taste, cornstarch solution (1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 3 tablespoons of water)

Method

• Marinate pork for 30 minutes.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of cooking oil in a hot wok then stir in the marinated pork for a quick fried. Stir-fry for about 1 minute and not to over cook the sliced pork. Drain oil back to the wok and set aside pork.
• Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok, stir in the garlic, ginger and spring onions, saute to fragrant then add fermented bean paste and stir-fry to bring out the aroma.
• Add 1 cup of water into the dish and bring to a gentle boil, add pork and let it simmer for 2 minutes then add in the seasoning. Drizzle cooking wine last to keep the aroma.
• Add cornstarch solution to thicken and shine the gravy. Stir to mix well and dish up.
• Best serve with rice.

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