Salad

Other than the cucumber (from my neighbour) and the radicchio everything else is from my garden. I particularly like the yellow beans, sweet and beany, called Kentucky Wonder Mix.

Chicken with Plum Sauce

Continuing with the plum. Here I sauté some garlic and onion in olive oil then add browned chicken pieces, deglaze with some white wine, add some thyme and cut up plums, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce thickens and chicken is cooked. Very brightly flavoured, sweet and sour.

Plum Cake

I have a Italian prune plum tree and this is plum season. I have to find ways to eat a whole tree of plums (I still have preserves from last year's harvest in the fridge!). This is easy and tasty. The batter is just a cup of flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a touch of salt, 2/5 cup of sugar, half a stick of butter, 3/8 cup of milk, an egg just mixed together. Usually this is made with the plum's fresh side up, prettier that way. I like it facing down with the plum melting into the cake, think it tastier.

Quick Pork Stirfry

This is pretty basic: thin slices of lean pork, garlic, ginger, onion, red bell pepper, Sichuan hot bean paste 郫縣豆瓣醬, Shaoxing liquor 紹興酒, scallion and sesame oil. Hot pan, add oil and then ingredients in that order. Perfect to go over rice.

Not Bad as Dinner

Yes, I said the outside round roast isn't great for dinner, but it is good enough. I made a pan sauce with dijon mustard, pepper and a little beef stock. The side is a seasonal vegetable stew of orange bell pepper, asian eggplant, yellow summer squash, potato, onion, garlic, olive oil, basil and oregano. Not refine but very happy kind of meal.

Horny Tomato

Well, what else can I say...

Outside Round Roast

Cheap cuts like outside round may be too lean and dry to make a good dinner oven roast, it does make a good cold cut. I do it simple--salt and pepper, brown in a pan, roast at 300℉ to 135℉ in the centre. When sliced thinly it makes great sandwiches and I even float them over rice noodles and chicken broth. A very economic and tasty standby.

Smoked Salmon Quiche

I still have a pie shell in the freezer and smoked sockeye in the fridge so what is better than a quiche. Sauté some onion and red bell pepper add the fish and some herbs put into the pie shell pour over the custard and back, very simple. I just follow the instruction on box regarding the custard and baking, comes out well.

Summer Garden Spaghetti

Even when there isn't much coming from the vegetable garden, a little of this and that is plenty enough. A couple of tomato, a small yellow summer squash and a few springs of basil are all I have. Chop and cook them with a little olive oil, garlic and crushed chili, salt-n-pepper, toss with some spaghetti and one of the best tasting pasta dish is made.

Smoked Salmon Omelette

If you have a little hot smoked salmon hanging around, omelette is a good way to go. This morning I take a small piece of my own smoked sockeye, sauté some onion and red pepper, add a couple of eggs and voilá a very tasty omelette.

Roast Pork Shoulder

Shoulder is good everyday roast. It is interesting because a few different muscle groups run through it and give the roast different texture. Just don't overcook, slice thinly and it is a very good eat. Here I stuffed it with garlic, thyme, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper, pan seared the outside and roasted in 300℉ until the centre reached 160.

Giant kernels

Bought a few ears of corn from the farmer's market, every but one is normal and regular. This one, however, has some giant kernels! Taste like others, very sweet.

Tomato Salad

Late summer is great tomato time. The rainbow colour tomato join my own home grown early bird tomato and basil in this salad. Even without cheese, just a simple dijon mustard vinaigrette is enough to make a very fine salad.

Rainbow Tomato

I don't know what this variety is called but I picked it up at the farmer's market. Certainly very colourful, quite tasty too.

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.

Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup

Another one of my all time favorites. Not difficult to make and some much better than most beef noodles out there. I caramelize some sugar in a little oil until lightly brown, thrown in many big chunks of garlic and ginger, then Sichuan bean paste (I use those from Pixian 郫縣豆瓣) is added. Briefly parboiled beef chunks (here I have rib meat 坑腩) are added to coat for a few second with some Sichuan peppercorns. Add hot water and simmer for a couple of hours until the beef is tender. Cook some pasta, season the soup with soy sauce and sesame oil, top with scallion and a fine bowl of noodle is made. Just have to make sure not to burn anything.

Baked Chicken Legs

By now, you know this is one of my standbys. Garlic chili sauce, soy sauce, shaoxing liquor, sesame oil, sugar, grated ginger, pressed garlic, and chopped scallion make up the marinate. Bake hot for 30 minutes and voilà! Sometimes I grill it too, works like a charm.

Spotted Prawn Season

It is spotted prawn season again. Steam them, eat them, nice. Just five minutes and it is done. A little home made chili soy sauce is my favorite dip.

Sprout and Carrot salad

This is about as simple a side dish as it gets and perfect for summer. Carrot, shredded with the little peeler-shredder I got a few days ago, and mung bean sprouts are parboil for a few second and then rinsed in cold water and drained. Garlic chili sauce, sugar, salt, soy sauce, Aged Shanxi Vinegar 山西老陳醋 and sesame oil are tossed in then refriderate for half an hour at least. I sometimes add shredded chicken and/or ham too.

Winter Melon Soup 冬瓜湯

I am not sure why it is called winter melon, maybe because it brings a little cool to the hot summer. It is getting hot, so it is winter melon time. I feel like a rich kind this time so I cut up some five spice salted pork 五香鹹肉 and cook it with the winter melon, fresh shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and water in which melon skin has been boiled for 20 minutes. The reason for the skin is that it has even greater cooling property than the meat. Mid way through it, I remember I still have a little bit of a rich stock made from roasted chicken bones, so into the pot it went too. Feel so good eating this soup in a hot day.

Onion Pork Chops

This sounds like a rustic classic, but for where? I am not exactly clear. Doesn't matter, the chops are salt-n-peppered and then browned, onlion, garlic and rosemary are added until they soften, water goes in and lid goes on. Cook until the chops are tender and the liquid is almost gone.

Oyster pot

They say oyster is great for a low cholesterol diet, so why not? The oysters are parboil for a couple of minutes. Ginger and garlic are thrown into a red hot clay pot with oil for a few moments before the oysters. Shaoxing liquor is next and then the lid goes on for a minute. A sauce of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar is then added. Cover for another minute and serve.

All-in-One Chicken in Red Wine

I was making this coq au vin and thinking what starch should I have. When it is almost done, I thought, "if I can bake pasta dry, why not cook some directly in the sauce?" Half a pound of penne went in and 10 minutes later, this is the result. Tastes like coq au vin and looks like a casserole. Am I getting lazy? If it tastes good, who cares!

Nice little tools

T&T Supermarket had a promotion for these little peelers. For no other reason then thinking "good, cheap!" I paid $2 for them.

As it turns out, they are very good. The blue one is serrated so it can peel more difficult things like tomato. The purple one shred quite finely. It is great for summer. Shredded carrots, or green papaya or whatever, like this wil make good salads.

Fast Ribs

Most of the time I agree with the mainstream of cooks that believe low-and-slow is the best way for ribs. Occasionally, with backribs, I like to cook it relatively quickly. Because the meat on the back is more tender and lean, hot oven or hot grill are good for it. Here it seasoned a rack with dry herbs and spices and then baked in a 400F oven. The result after half an hour or so is a fresh, tender (but not fall-apart) and tasty.

HOFA Market

All of my friends in Hong Kong are surprised that there are not only farmer's markets in Hong Kong but also that they are all certified organic. Here are some tomatoes and strawberries from the Wednesday farmer's market (1-7pm) at Star Ferries terminal at Central. Lovely seasonal vegetables of all kinds, all at HK$25 a pound, from small organic farms in Hong Kong. The market is organized by HOFA Hong Kong Organic Farmers' Association.

Mango Fish 芒魚

Once this was a priced fish in Hong Kong, ranked number two most desirable behind pomfret and before mackerel. Nowadays it is forgotten because of its size and fashion, and the overwhelmingly underdeveloped taste buds all over the city, no one pay much attention to it. The taste of the fish has not change though, it is still one of the more flavourful fish. Considering its price, one can eat very well with a few of these mango looking fishes on their weekly menus.

Cold Fish...the kind that is tasty

I think red snapper is one of the prettier fishes for the table. Japanese like to slice it thin and eat it raw; or, they make a big deal New Year dish with the biggest head they can find. For me, as a Chao Zhou person, I like to steam it and eat it cold a day or two later.








This may be counter intuitive but the chilling in the fridge for a couple of days firms up the meat and brings out the clean sweetness of the fish. The classic accompaniment is Pu Ling bean sauce 普寧豆醬 as a dip.