Gravlax

Leftover salmon is great for gravlax. It is easy to make and great to eat. Sockeye has a firm texture and the mouth feel is almost crunchy. I use about 50/50 of sugar and salt, a handful of cracked black pepper, a sprinkle of gin, lemon peel, lemon slice and dill to bury the fish, put some heavy can on top and keep in the fridge for three days.

Quiche

I haven't made quiche for two decades, not since college. Forgot how easy it is and what a good way to get rid of the leftover. Here I have black forest ham, egg, cream, milk, onion, parmigiano reggiano, mozzarella and thyme, all pour into a frozen pie shell. I have some filling leftover so I cook it in a ramekin, sort of a baked omelette.

This is salmon season and very nice and large sockeye salmon are available at very reasonable price. Here is a 5-pounder dressed at just C$25. It is not possible, of course, to eat all of it all at once. Smoking and curing much of it are just great ways to make it last.



Filleting a big fish isn't that difficult just need a little practise and a very shape knife. This takes me all five minutes. Not exactly perfect but quite usable at home.

Do-Your-Own-Cooking Meal

Hot pot is pretty much cooking free for the cook. If you want to eat, you put it in the hot water and cook it yourself, I just put things on the table. Here I have a mix of cooked and raw pots. In the pot are beef meat balls, fish cake slices, fried gluten, napa cabbage, ginger and water--a cooked pot. I also have some sliced ribeye to be cooked briefly by dipping into the soup--a raw element. A minimum fuss way of serving people.

A Recent Dinner

Some dishes from a dinner I made recently--oxtail stewed with potato 牛尾炆薯仔, sugar and vinegar ribs 糖醋排骨, seared sockeye salmon, scallion sea cucumber 蔥燒海參.

Chicken Curry

Besides Buddhism, curry is probably India's greatest export. Like Buddhism, curry morphs into innumerous version each unique to the location in which it takes root. This is a Hong Kong-ish curry, I suppose. This time I blend my own spices--coriander seed, cumin, clove, cardamon, black mustard seed, black pepper, tumeric, chili powder (heavy on the coriander bacause it is summer). I marinated the skinless chicken thighs with the mix and salt for a couple of hours and roast them in a hot oven until they lightly browned. Meanwhile, I saute a couple onion, sliced, for 20 minutes until nicely golden, then ginger and garlic a thrown in. The spices go in next for half a minute then the lightly roasted chicken. Toss it all about for a minute or two then in goes the potato and carrot and water and salt (if needed). Cook until the potato is almost soft then add a table spoon or two of curry paste from Kwan Yik 冠益華記油咖哩. The tangliness and fragrance of the curry paste is just the right finishing touch. Simmer for another 10 or so minutes and it is done.

Hot Water Dough Pastry

This pastry 燒餅 is also made with hot water dough. The dough is rolled thin and then an oil and flour mixture, 30g of flour to 80g of oil, is brushed on to the dough. Roll up the dough and roll to a square (make sure not to roll all the way to the edge and break the pasty). Fold in three and then roll again, repeat. Lightly wet the surface of the resulted rectangle and stick on some sesame. Bake in 400C oven for 10 minutes. Tender layered pastry that make excellent sandwiches.

Hot Water Dough

No one I know use hot water dough as much as Chinese. Hot water dough is made by first mixing hot water, about half of the amount needed, into lightly salted flour to partially cook it and then finish with cold water to form a nice dough. The result is a tender and smooth dough, not as strong as the normal cold water dough but very easy to cook and shape. Traditionally potstickers 鍋貼 are made with this dough. The almost creamy wrapper is far better than the cold water dough used in boil dumplings in this application.

Spicy 'Stir-fry'

Stir-frying is a method of cooking, not a dish. Partially cooked ingredients are finished in a very hot pan with a sauce, just enough to coat, that is stir-frying. Here I cut up a couple pork chops, marinate them in sugar, salt, soy sauce, shaoxing liquor, sesame oil and cornstarch before browning them on medium high heat until nicely brown and 70% cooked. Garlic and ginger are lightly browned in a seperate pan, add the pepper and asparagues and cook for a minute or so. Add hot bean sauce 豆瓣醬 and then the pork, deglaze with a little shaoxing liquor, season with sugar, soy sauce if needed. Toss about a little, add a little sesame oil and it is done. Very flavourful.

Garlic Chicken

I am not sure if this is Spanish or Chinese. The original idea comes from a Spanish cookbook I read a couple decades ago, but the way it is cook feel Chinese too. The chicken pieces are brown well with olive oil when it is about down, lots of garlic, chili pepper, black pepper and parsley are added to brown a bit till the garlic are crispy. I like the garlicky crispness of this dish.

Leftover Orzo

I made orzo instead of risotto to go with osso buco the night before and have some orzo left. For lunch I cut up some leftover capicollo, olives tomato and pickled mini onions from the antipasti, fry in olive oil lightly, toss in orzo, salt and pepper, cook for a bit to warm up the orzo. Add a hand full of chopped Italian parsley and a very very tasty pasta dish is made, all from leftovers.

Pan Seared Prawns

Steaming spotted prawn is the most 'true' way to eat it, but this is more flavourful. The prawns are salted and pan seared in high heat until about 2/3 done then add chopped ginger, garlic, scallion, chili pepper and black pepper. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned and it smells good, it is done.

Chops and 'Noodle'

The chops are seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin, pan seared until just done. Goes well with the veggie 'noodle' salad.

Steamed Eggplant

This is one of my favorites when I was little; and it is one of the few things my dad would personally season. Cut up eggplant is drizzled with a little salt and oil, steam for a few minutes until tender but not too soft. Toss in some sesame oil, soy sauce and, most importantly, Quhou Jiang 柱侯醬. One may use Hoisin but then I think Quhou is a lot better for this dish, more beany and less sweet.

Vegetable 'Noodle' Salad

With the little shredding tool, it is easy to turn carrots and cucumber into thin noodles. Here I have some garlic chili sauce, sugar, salt, soy sauce, aged vinegar and sesame oil added as sauce. Kind of fun to eat.

Chicken rice

One pot. Salt-n-pepper and brown chicken in olive oil. Sweat onion, carrot, celery and garlic then add tomato, cook down a bit. Add rice and thyme and cook a little bit. Add water, return chicken into pot, cook covered until rice is done. Looks good, tastes good and very easy.

Steamed Flaxseed Bread

I have some bread dough with flaxseed meal in the fridge and wonders what would it be like steamed. Here is the result, pretty good eating but as I was eating it, I thought, there is a reason they usually add a little sugar to mantou 饅頭...

Korean-ish

I saved the shells from the spotted prawn and made a stock by simmering them in water for 45 minutes. Stock is then make into a soup with white miso paste, gochijang, oysters, tofu, fresh shiitake mushroom and weng cai (Ipomoea aquatica 蕹蔡). Everybody is talking umame these days and this soup is full of it.

Last of the Salmon

This is a vacuumed frozen coho given to me by Steve Johanson of Organic Ocean when I bought the giant spring salmon from him last year. The new salmon season is on the horizon so I really should eat it. Salt-and-peppered and pan seared quickly, brush with a glaze of grated ginger, dark maple syrup, soy sauce, and lemon juice, and into a hot oven for 5 minutes. Medium is just the right doneness.

Prawn Salad

I have a few spotted prawn left so salad it is . Shredded carrot and bean sprouts are tossed in sugar, soy sauce, chili oil, shanxi aged vinegar 山西老陳醋 and sesame oil. Refreshing. Could use some cilantro though.