This recipe calls for sliced hard boiled eggs. The best clean-cut ways are using a string or a hard boiled egg cutter, so you get thinner slices with yolks and whites still attached to each other.
Trying to keep it as simple as I can, instead, I sliced the eggs with a sharp knife and cut them just a little bit thicker than intended. One hand was doing the slicing work and the other trying to hold up the shape. The result was better than expected since most of the yolks and whites stayed together without breaking apart.
So are you ready for this spicy stir fry recipe?
Hunan eggs -
Ingredients?
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 stalk scallion
- 2 red chilies
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon salted black beans
- 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Some corn starch
- Some white pepper powder
How?
Peel hard boiled eggs and slice them either with a string, a cutter, or by a knife. If using a knife, thicker slice can prevent the yolks and whites from falling apart.
Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Discard the stem and chop the scallion into shorter strips, about 2 inches in length. Discard the chili stems and slice the remaining section diagonally.
Coat the egg slices with corn starch and gently shake away excess powder. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan and turn to medium high heat. Once the temperature rises a little, carefully add in the egg slices and sear till both sides turned slightly brown. Transfer onto a plate for later use.
In the same pan, drizzle in two more tablespoons of sesame oil. Add in the scallion, chilies, and garlic slices. Cook till the aroma comes out and the garlic turned slightly golden browned on the edges, add in the seasonings: sugar, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, and salted black beans. Mix well and cook for about 10 seconds.
Transfer the egg to the mixture and gently flip a few times, make sure all the seasonings cling on to both sides of the egg slices. Sprinkle some white pepper powder before serving.
The salted black beans I used came with oil. If you're using the dried version, try to soak the beans in couple tablespoons of Chinese rice wine before use, then just skip adding more rice wine during the process.
Other spicy stir fry recipes:
Japanese style potato salad is one of the good ways to utilize leftover ingredients. The basic ingredients are potatoes and Japanese mayonnaise. I added whole grain mustard for an extra kick. You can mix and match the remaining ingredients ranging from hard boiled egg, peas, celery, ham, cucumber, and more.
Potato salad -
Ingredients?
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 can sweet corn
- 1 cup Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Some coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 hard boiled eggs (optional)
How?
Peel the potatoes and carrot, cut into large size pieces then steam for 45 to 55 minutes depending on how soft and fluffy you want the potatoes to be.
If using fresh corn kernels, add them to the steamer towards the end and cook for about 8 minutes. If using canned corn, drain well and set aside for later use.
Once ready, cool down and let the steamy moisture evaporates before handling. Cut the potatoes and carrot into smaller pieces. I intentionally keep the potatoes in larger chunks for a heartier bite. Transfer the potatoes, carrot, corn, and perhaps other ingredients of your liking to a big bowl.
Mix together Japanese mayonnaise and mustard in a smaller container first then pour onto the prepared ingredients. Fold and mix well. If using hard boiled eggs, chop them into smaller pieces and mix in towards the end.
Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper before serving.
This salad can be an afternoon snack, a simple side dish, or even as a sandwich filling. The best part? Easy cleaning since only steaming, chopping, and mixing are involved.
Other no fuss cooking recipes:
Chinese cured pork has an intense smoky aroma and most of the time sold as smaller chunks in airtight sealed bag. You need to remove the tough skin and thinly slice the pork before using it. Luckily, I found the already sliced version at a local grocery store, of course can't let such time saving and flavorful pieces of meat escape my shopping bag.
Chinese cured pork slices and garlic bolt stir fry -
Ingredients?
- 1 pack/100 grams Chinese cured pork slices
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves
- 1 garlic bolt
- 2 red chilies
- 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
How?
Slice the garlic bolt diagonally. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Discard the chili stems and slice the remaining diagonally -
Remove the cured pork slices from the package. If you can find it, substitute with smoked bacon.
Transfer the pork slices to a pot, no need to add any oil. Use medium heat and slowly sear till the fat has been rendered but not over-browning the meat.
Turn up the heat a little bit then add in the garlic slices, garlic bolt, and red chilies. Give it a quick still and cook till the edges of the garlic slices turns slightly browned. Add in the sugar to balance off the saltiness.
Mix well then move to a serving plate -
Note: Cured meat is quite salty so do not add any more salt to this dish, otherwise you might end up searching for water for the next couple hours.
Other Asian stir fry recipes:
Went to a Taiwanese seafood restaurant a while back and one of the dishes that night was some sort of fried rice with orange bits throughout. Didn't quite realize what it was until I flip through the camera images days after, it was uni/sea urchin fried rice. The orange bits were fresh uni.
Perhaps these tiny bits of ocean jewels were not enough for me, so I've decided to take the idea and make my own "luxurious" seafood fried rice (wink*).
Uni and crab fried rice -
Ingredients (3 to 4 portions)?
- 2 cups of uncooked white rice
- 2 thin/skinny type cucumbers
- 1 whole kernel corn
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 stalk scallion
- 6 ounces/170 grams crab meat
- 3.5 ounces/100 grams uni
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 red chilies (optional)
- Some white pepper powder
- Some cilantro
How?
Crab is in season now, you can buy a whole crab, boil, then scrape out the crabmeat yourself, or just use store bought packaged version. Give and take, if using whole crab, you get to add flavorful crab brain (kani miso), but of course the prep work is going to be much more strenuous.
If using freshly cooked rice, cook two cups of white rice using a little bit less water than usual. You can also use overnight leftover rice instead.
Peel and cube the onion and cucumbers. Discard the scallion stem and chop the remaining into smaller pieces.
Drizzle enough olive oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan, about two tablespoons. Turn to medium high heat and add in chopped onion. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and give it a quick mix. Cook till the edges of the onion cubes turned slightly browned. Add in two finely chopped red chilies if preferred.
Add in cubed cucumber and corn kernels. Give it a stir and cook for another minute.
Add one tablespoon of fish sauce, mix a little. Gently fold in the crabmeat and 3/4 of uni.
Add the rice to the mixture in two batches, easier to stir fry this way and make sure every grain has been coated with all the flavors. Toss in chopped scallion along with some white pepper powder. Taste and see if more fish sauce or salt is needed for extra saltiness.
Transfer the fried rice to a serving dish, top with remaining uni and sprinkle some chopped cilantro.
Truly a pampered fried rice meal.
Other fried rice recipes:
What gives you a happy boost when feeling down? Someone told me watching relaxing TV series will do the trick. That should help, but perhaps nothing works better than having comforting chocolate aroma filled every corner of the house. To make the situation even better, a whole box of freshly baked chewy brownies awaits.
Chocolate works.
Bittersweet chocolate chip brownies, chewy kind and no oil needed -
Ingredients (for 6 large pieces)?
Dry ingredients:
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick or 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Other:
- 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
How?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a small baking dish. I used a loaf pan instead and the size works perfect for making smaller batch of brownies. Sift the dry ingredients -
Melt the butter, mix it together with granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Beat in one egg at a time and blend till the mixture appears smooth and fully incorporated.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches. Blend well. Lastly, fold in the bittersweet chocolate chips -
Pour the mixture to the baking dish/loaf pan. Into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let it cool down for about 30 minutes before cutting into squares/rectangles.
Store in room temperature to prevent from drying. You can also store them in the freezer if needed, but always make sure to warm up the brownies before serving.
Other dessert recipes:
