Bottle Gourd and Carrot Pancake 瓠瓜煎餅

Not sure about other countries but in Taiwan, bottle gourd usually comes in two color styles, one with homogeneous light green color all around, and the other intertwined with darker and lighter green patterns.

Usually I would prefer the fancier-looking bottle gourd, but the smallest one I could find at the market was the other kind, so I just went for it. To make the pancake, we'll only need about 1/3 of the medium sized bottle gourd, so try to source the smaller variety if you get to choose.

Bottle gourd and carrot pancake 瓠瓜煎餅 - 

Ingredients?

• 2 cups bottle gourd strips 
• 1 cup carrot strips
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimps
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine 
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper powder
• Some salt
• 2 tablespoons preferred cooking oil

How?

Peel and cut the bottle gourd to strips. We'll need about 2 cups total and that is about 1/3 of a medium sized bottle gourd.

Transfer the bottle gourd strips to a bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Give the strips a gentle rub in order to evenly blend with the salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes, the salt will start drawing out some moisture.

Once ready, drain and squeeze but not break the bottle gourd strips. Perhaps use a paper towel to wipe-off excess liquid.

Use 2 tablespoons of Chinese rice wine to soak the dried shrimps. Once softened, drain and finely chop the shrimps.

Peel and julienne the carrot. We will need about 1 cup of carrot strips, and that's about half of a medium carrot. Beat two eggs in a separate bowl.

Combine prepped bottle gourd strips with carrot strips and chopped dried shrimps in a big bowl. Also add two beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper powder. Give it a gentle mix till evenly blended.

You might have to adjust the consistency either by using more flour or perhaps add one more beaten egg in order to get a gooey batter in the end.

Non-stick pan will make the job easier, otherwise make sure to heat up other type of pan before searing the batter.

So drizzle two tablespoons of preferred cooking oil to the pan and switch to medium heat. Wait till the surface turns hot then pour in the batter. Flatten out the batter as soon as it hits the pan then stop moving it.

Wait till the bottom has been set and maybe even a bit golden browned. Flip and sear the other side till slightly colored.

I would recommend to sear the first side longer, so that once you flip the pancake, you don't have to sear the other side as long. That way you'll have a prettier brighter color side to plate on top.

So once both sides are cooked, transfer the pancake to a big serving plate. You can prepare some chili sauce on the side to eat along with. My personal favorite is chopped fresh red chilies in soy sauce.

Since only 1/3 of the bottle gourd was used, the other 2/3 was cut into strips and used in other thick soup dish. Nothing goes to waste.

The same idea for carrot. I chopped up the remaining 1/2 carrot and used in stir-fry dish with ground pork. 

Extended reading:

• Bitter gourd stir-fry with salted black beans

Egg Scallion and Shio Kombu Onigiri 蔥蛋塩昆布日式飯糰

Perhaps similar to a chicken wrap, onigiri is like Japanese's version of a quick simple meal or a snack on the go. However, fast and easy doesn't mean the onigiri must be boring and bland. Instead, we're going to use some of the super-matching ingredients to bring out that extra aroma, making some hella satisfying rice balls.

Egg scallion and shio kombu onigiri 蔥蛋塩昆布日式飯糰 - 

Ingredients (about 3 rice balls)?

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons shio kombu 塩昆布
• 1 1/2 cups cooked short grain white rice
• 1 big dried nori sheet
• 2 strings scallion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Some sesame oil
• Some salt

How?

Precook the rice. Once ready, fluff the rice and wait till some steam has been escaped. Oil a big mixing bowl to prevent sticking, I used sesame oil here.

Beat one egg with tiny pinch of salt. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and switch to medium heat.

Once warm enough, pour in the beaten egg and start scramble the eggs to smaller pieces. Scoop out to oiled big mixing bowl that we prepped earlier.

Destem and chop the scallion. Add that to the bowl too together with about 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice. Also add 2 tablespoons of shio kombu and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil. Fluff while mixing these ingredients gently till evenly blended.

Trim the nori sheet to rectangular pieces, or you can use the snack-pack, the nori sheets inside usually come as rectangular shaped.

Divide the rice mixture to 2 or 3 equal portions. Roll and shape each portion to a ball. Remember to use some force so the rice can stick together, but not too hard and break the rice. Wrap the rice ball with nori sheet and serve immediately.

I had to take pictures, which takes time, otherwise it's best to enjoy the onigiri as soon as it's been wrapped with nori sheet. The nori sheet turns soft basically in the blink of an eye. But even with soggy nori sheet after some pictures, I still enjoyed this onigiri flavor combo, just love that salty touch from the shio kombu. 

Other onigiri recipes:

• Tuna and sesame oil rice balls
• Hijiki and inari age onigiri 羊栖菜豆皮飯糰

Kuku Paka Coconut Chicken Curry - A Type of Curry That Can Be Easily Recreated at Home

When cooking curry, we often think about many exotic spices, perhaps lots of grinding and searing the aromatics to begin with. The long list of preparation can be daunting, but not this kuku papa curry recipe.

Kuku paka is a type of coconut chicken recipe with African, Indian, and Arabic influences. Of course you can elaborate on the spices, but generally speaking the key ingredients involved are far less compared to Indian curry. You can also use store-bought coconut milk and tomato purée to finish the job. So when working on homemade curry, kuku paka can be one simpler variety to begin with.

Kuku paka coconut chicken curry - 

Ingredients (about 4 to 6 servings)?

• 4 boneless skin-on chicken legs 
• 1 medium small onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 chunk ginger
• 270ml coconut milk
• 500ml tomato purée
• 1 lemon
• 1 small bundle cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Some basmati or quinoa basmati rice (optional)

How?

Pat dry the chicken with paper towel. Sprinkle some salt and black pepper on both sides.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a big pot and switch to medium heat. Wait till the temperature rises a little then transfer the chicken over skin side down. Sear till the skin on the bottom turns golden.

Flip and sear the meaty side, also sear till slightly golden. Scoop out and set aside for later use.

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Scrape the skin off then finely chop the ginger, we will need about 2 teaspoons chopped ginger in the end. Chop the cilantro.

Use the same pot for the chicken, there should be some oil and chicken fat remain. Switch to medium heat and add in chopped onion. Stir and cook for couple minutes then add in the garlic and ginger. Cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic.

Add 2 teaspoons of cumin powder, 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons of coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook till aromatic, again but not burnt. This step will be fairly quick, should be done in less than one minute.

Pour in coconut milk and tomato purée. Mix and give it a taste test. I added one more teaspoon of salt here.

Transfer seared chicken legs back to the pot along with any remaining juice. Bring the whole thing to a light bubbling stage then adjust the heat to keep the pot at a light simmer. Cover with lid and cook for another 20 minutes.

I opened up the lid and scraped the bottom once a while, just to make sure nothing is burning or sticking to the pot. Towards the end, squeeze in juice of half lemon. Also add most of the chopped cilantro, especially the stem section. Mix and cook for couple more minutes.

The kuku paka is now ready. I prepped some quinoa basmati rice to eat along with the it. Remember to sprinkle some more chopped cilantro after plating.

The flavor is always better if bone-in chicken was used, but I'm just too lazy to deal with it. So to compromise, I used boneless but still skin-attached chicken instead. It's totally up to you, but I find my boneless version still quite yummy in the end.

One other note, the ingredients listed here will give you more curry sauce in the end. So if you want to use more chicken leg, maybe up to six chicken legs, there's no need to adjust the amount of seasonings whatsoever. 

 

Savoury Chinese Congee Using Jinhua Ham and Vegetables 金華火腿鹹味臘八粥

This congee meal showed up at the right time. The thing is that I'd like to plan ahead what I'm going to cook for the following weeks, and it was congee's turn when both Mister and I caught a cold.

Congee really helped in remedy some uncomfortable symptoms such as sore throat and lost of appetite. It provided some warmth while easy to eat. Also easy to prep for the person who cooks the meal, yes, that's me, one other sick person in the house. 

Savoury Chinese congee using Jinhua ham and vegetables 金華火腿鹹味臘八粥 - 

Ingredients (for 6 to 8 servings)?

• 150 grams boneless Jinhua ham pieces
• 1/2 medium small cabbage
• 1 medium carrot 
• 1 medium daikon radish
• 4 shiitake mushrooms
• 4 Chinese bean curd
• 3/4 cup peas
• 1 stalk garlic sprout
• 2 cups short grain white rice
• 12 cups water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• Some salt (optional)
• Some roasted peanuts (optional)

How?

Trim-off the very center tough area for the cabbage then chop the remaining section. Peel and cube the carrot. Peel and cube the daikon radish. Cube the Chinese bean curd. Destem and cube the shiitake mushrooms. Destem and slice diagonally for the garlic sprout.

Slice the Jinhua ham to strips.

Bring out a big pot and drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil. I simply use olive oil for most of my cooking. Add in Jinhua ham strips and use medium heat to sear till aromatic.

Add in both the carrot and daikon radish cubes. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, perhaps switch to medium low heat if needed.

Pour in 12 cups of water and bring the entire pot to a boil. Pour in 2 regular measuring cups of short grain white rice. Also add the cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and bean curd.

Only add in peas here if using bigger tougher version of peas. The peas I'm using is small and very delicate, so I decided to add them towards the end of cooking instead. 

Bring the pot to a boil again then lower the heat to keep it at a light bubbling stage. Continue to cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remember to stir once a while. Mine took about 25 minutes.

After that, if using tender peas, it's time to add the peas now. Also add in the garlic sprouts. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust the flavor with salt if needed. Or perhaps add more liquid for a more soupy consistency.

Some people like to serve the congee with some crushed roasted peanuts. It surely will add another layer of aroma, but me and Mister were having a cold so the peanuts are out of the picture for our throats' sake. 

If you can't finish all the congee at once, just remember to add more liquid, maybe drinkable hot water or chicken stock when reheating. Otherwise the rice will keep soaking in the liquid and the congee will turn to risotto-like consistency instead.  

Extended reading:

• Soy milk zosui
• Tomato bamboo shoot and pork zosui 番茄竹筍豬肉雜炊
• Minced beef and vegetable congee 蔬菜牛肉粥

Cheesy Garlic Bread - For All The Oozing Goodness Lovers Out There

Usually I would recommend people to check on recipes that were published within the recent two years, because cooking techniques or amount of seasonings might change over time, more so improved. However, back in 2019 I had a recipe post for garlic bread, oh man that was delicious, and even until today I still think that recipe holds. 

So to extend that yummy garlic bread recipe, here's one other variation with lots of cheese involved for all the oozing goodness lovers out there.

Cheesy garlic bread - 

Ingredients?

• 1 medium baguette
• 200 grams mixed shredded cheese
• 120 grams high quality unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves
• Some aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• Small bundle flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

How?

Halve the baguette lengthwise, so you'll have like two long bread slices in the end. Note that I also slice the baguette in half in order to fit in my baking sheet lined with foil.

Use room softened room temperature butter, transfer the butter to a bowl and mix that with peeled and chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder.

Spread the butter mixture all over baguette on the cut-side, then generously top that with shredded cheese. 

Use high heat and shuffle the baking sheet into the oven. Wait till the cheese has been melted and even slightly browned.

Remove from heat. Slice the baguette to individual serving pieces. Grate some aged Parmigiano Reggiano all over and sprinkle some chopped flat leaf parsley. Enjoy while still hot.

It's a very simple recipe, which means the quality of the ingredients become the key to success. Common butter and cheese found in the grocery store will still give you a pretty satisfying cheesy garlic bread. But if using very high quality butter, you'll be amazed by even more intensified buttery aroma in the end.

The final touch of Parmigiano Reggiano matters a lot too. Definitely steer away from the powdered green bottle version. The aroma is just differently and far from the real aged Parmigiano Reggiano grated on the spot.

Extended reading:

• Irresistible garlic bread

Braised Beef Shanks 滷牛腱 - Approved by Papa and His Friends

Due to the current kitchen restriction, I've only have one stovetop to use and that's why I rarely cook braised dishes nowadays. If the only stovetop is occupied braising something, that means I'm left with limited options to prepare other food at the same time.

But don't ever underestimate a housewife. This time I managed to braise the beef shanks for hours while making the main carb dish with rice cooker. If preferred, I can also have something working with the steamer, no stovetop needed.

So beside the pre-boiling preparation, the actual braising time for the beef shanks took 2 hours. However, if you'd like to try out this recipe, make sure to have spare time for the beef shanks to cool-off. I sped up the cooling time by storing the beef shanks in the freezer. The beef shanks can only be sliced nicely once hardened. And this dish is supposed to eat in room temperature, with optional chopped scallion, braised juice, and chili sauce on top.

Braise beef shanks 滷牛腱 -

Ingredients (for 3 shanks)?

• 3 or about 1350 grams beef shanks
• 4 stalks scallion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 medium small onion
• 3 slices ginger
• 2 dried red chilies
• 2 star anises
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons spicy fermented bean paste (ideally from Sichuan Pixian 郫縣)
• 1 teaspoon crystal sugar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup aged Shaoxing wine
• 3 cups water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• Some chili oil (optional)

How?

Have a big pot of water ready but fill up till about half way through. Add in the beef shanks and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat a bit but still keep the water bubbling. Continue to cook for couple more minutes till more foamy bits floating on top. Heat-off, drain and set the beef shanks aside.

Peel the garlic cloves. Scrape and slice the ginger, about 1mm thickness. Peel and slice the onion to big chunks. Destem and section the scallion, but do save about 1/2 cup chopped scallion greens.

Have a big pot ready for braising. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil and switch to medium heat. Add in onion, garlic, ginger, and scallion section. Stir-fry till slightly browned on some of the aromatics.

Add in spicy fermented bean paste, I used a specialty version from Sichuan Pixian, it's good stuff, highly recommend to buy it if you find one in Asian market. Stir and cook till that bean paste aroma starts to come out but not burnt.

Add in the beef shanks. Also add 1 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of aged Shaoxing wine, 3 cups of water, 2 bay leaves, 2 star anises, 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorn, 1/2 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorn, 2 dried red chiles, and 1 teaspoon of crystal sugar.

Bring to a boil then adjust the heat to keep the pot as a medium bubbling stage. Cover with lid and let the meat braise, but do remember to check once a while and flip the beef around.

Braise for at least 90 minutes, mine took 120 minutes, aiming for a softer bite.

When the beef is ready, remove from the juice and let the meat rest and cool-off. You might have to speed up the process by storing the shanks in the fridge or freezer. I actually store the meat in the freezer and waited for like close to two hours.

Once hardened, slice the beef shank to 1mm to 2mm thickness. Plate and drizzle some braised juice over, not too much because it can get too salty. Sprinkle over some chopped scallion we saved earlier. You can also drizzle some chili oil if desired.

I know my dad loves braised beef shanks so I save most of the pretty sliced ones for him. Nicely laid the beef shank slices in a container, drizzled a bit braised juice, also packed up some extra juice and chopped scallion for him. 

The extra braised juice can either drizzle on top of the beef shanks, or use as noodle sauce, no extra seasonings needed, very convenient. 

So my dad shared the beef shanks with his friends and received many good feedbacks. Well, I'm happy that they love the braised beef shanks. But what makes me even happier is that my dad got something to show-off, in a nice way. Not only his daughter brought him something he likes to eat, homemade too, but also a bragging right that his daughter can cook.

Other Asian braise recipes:

• Braised potato chunks in Asian sauce 紅燒馬鈴薯
• Braised Chinese cabbage with Jinhua ham 金華火腿煨白菜
• Shaoxing braised pork belly 紹興豬肉

Steamed Boneless Chicken Leg with Scallion and Ginger Sauce 蒸去骨雞腿佐蔥薑蓉醬

Think of it as hassle-free Asian recipe. I actually kind of stir-fry the scallion and ginger for the sauce, but if you'd like to make it even simpler, just heat up the oil and pour over the chopped aromatics. If doing so, the kitchen basically stays clean and you'll have a flavorful dish to eat along with, I would say steamed rice is the best way to go.

Steamed boneless chicken leg with scallion and ginger sauce 蒸去骨雞腿佐蔥薑蓉醬 - 

Ingredients?

• 1 boneless skin-on chicken leg
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1 chunk young ginger
• 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• Some salt
• Some chili sauce (optional)

How?

The boneless chicken leg I used is about 190 grams. Also for the scallion, we'll need about 3/4 cup once chopped. Ginger-wise about 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon scraped and chopped.

I do suggest to thoroughly feel the boneless chicken making sure there're no tiny bone fragments remain. Once checked, steam till fully cooked. Pour out excess liquid after steaming. I actually save the chicken juice to flavor other dishes later on. Transfer the chicken to serving plate.

Use a medium pot and drizzle 3 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil. I used olive oil for most of my cooking. Turn to medium heat and add in chopped scallion and ginger. Stir-fry till aromatic but not burnt. Lower the heat a little if needed. Season with some salt and do a taste-check, adjust the amount of salt used depending on your liking.

Pour that scallion and ginger sauce all over steamed chicken. Serve with optional chili sauce drizzle on top.

You can definitely sear the chicken instead, but our goal is keep the kitchen as clean as possible after cooking, and searing inevitably will result in some oil splashing here and there.

However, if decided to go with the searing route, drizzle some oil to a pan and sear the chicken skin side down first till golden then flip and sear the other side. Once the chicken is done and removed from the pan, use the remaining oil to stir-fry the scallion and ginger.

The result for searing the chicken gives you a more flavorful dish in the end, but that comes with more cleaning work afterwards too. Give and take, your call.

Other steamed recipes:

• Vietnamese steamed egg meatloaf
• Steamed tofu and egg with ground pork toppings 肉末豆腐蒸蛋
• Chinese steamed red grouper with ginger and scallion 油淋清蒸紅條魚

 

Gnocchi in Broccoli and Spinach Sauce

My initial experience with frozen gnocchi was great. It was used in roasted red bell pepper sauce and the result was delicious. The frozen version yielded almost the same soft and comforting bite like the fresh made version. So I bought the product again and this time used in broccoli and spinach sauce.

Gnocchi in broccoli and spinach sauce - 

Ingredients (about 3 portions)?

• 400 grams gnocchi
• 1 small broccoli 
• 1 tightly packed cup spinach
• 2 pieces anchovies
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 chunk aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon caper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Some extra virgin olive oil
• Some salt

How?

Trim the broccoli stem and remove the fibrous part. Cut the trimmed stem to smaller chunks, break the florets to smaller pieces too. Aim for using the leafy part for the spinach only, I actually used the stem for other stir-fry dishes. If you can find baby spinach in a pack that's even better.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add in the broccoli stem first. Cook for one minute then add in the florets, cook for another minute. Add in the spinach in the end and quickly cook for 10 seconds or so, just enough time till the leaves wilted. Drain but not like over-drain it, we need some moisture there still. Transfer to food processor.

Also add to the food processor, aged Parmigiano Reggiano that's been cut into smaller chunks. I used about a total of two little finger sized of Parmigiano Reggiano. I didn't weigh the cheese but a bit more or less shouldn't be an issue.

On top of cheese, also add zest of one lemon, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of capers, 2 pieces of anchovies, 1 peeled garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend till smooth.

Add some water if the sauce appears too dry. Also if you prefer a more "saucy" consistency in the end, use 5 tablespoons of olive oil here instead of 4.

Pour the sauce to a pan and use medium heat to warm it up. 

When the sauce comes to a light bubbling stage, add in cooked or defrosted gnocchi. Toss till incorporated with the sauce. Taste and adjust with additional seasonings or olive oil if needed.

Plate and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over. Also grate some more aged Parmigiano Reggiano on top.

The sauce can be made ahead of time and store in the fridge waiting for assembling, I suppose within two days should be fine.

If you have frozen gnocchi on hand, great! If not, it's even better with freshly made version. Just need to precook the fresh gnocchi then drain before mixing with the sauce here.

Also it doesn't have to be gnocchi, any other type of short pasta like penne or even orecchiette should match just as good.

Extended reading:

• Seafood gnocchi in roasted red bell pepper sauce