客家炸肉和焖肉

客家炸肉和焖肉

客家炸肉，炸肉和焖肉是让孩子们好配

饭而煮的，家人非常爱这道被焖的软软的焖肉。

客家炸肉：

五花肉 or 排骨瘦肉   1公斤

材料 A：（捣碎挤出汁留用）

姜汁        1大匙 

小葱        150g

蒜瓣        8粒

材料 B：

蛋            1粒

五香粉    1小匙

南乳        2块 （optional）

绍兴酒    2大匙

盐            1/2 小匙

胡椒粉   少许

糖            1/2小匙

材料C ：

面粉        1大匙

粘米粉    1大匙（妈妈说加入粘米粉是让肉跟脆）

做法：

1。五花肉连皮切适宜的厚块，加入材料A的汁和所有材料B拌匀放置腌3-4小时，然后加入材料C拌匀。

2。放入热油锅炸至金黄色，即可。

客家焖肉：

客家炸肉

蒜头        1粒（剁碎）

南乳        1块 (can skip)

五香粉    1/4小匙

绍兴酒     1/2大匙

黑木耳    100g (泡软）and I added 小香菇

盐             少许

水             适量

做法：

1。热少许油，爆香蒜头碎和南乳 (use mushroom flavored oyster sauce as replacement)，倒入少许的清水，五香粉，绍兴酒，盐。水煮沸后再放入客家炸肉和黑木耳。用慢火焖煮 30-40分钟或至肉软。即可

 recipe adapted from Sweetywlp's Dairy

  

Eggplant Rice （茄子燜飯）

Eggplant Rice

(using the same cup which we measure rice to measure other ingredients)

The portion here is for 2 to 3 cups of rice
2 eggplants (halved then sliced)
4 green oinion (diced)
1/4 cup of cooking oil
1/8 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of ground or chopped meat (optional)

Sauce for optional add on mixing

2 red/green hot pepper 20 g (diced any kind, can skip if prefer not spicy version)

2-3 green onions 20 g 1/3 cup (diced)

a good amount of chives diced 40g/ 2/3 cup (optional or can be replaced by other herbs for aroma)

sugar 1/2 TBsp (6g)

soy sauce (2/3 cup, 120 ml good amount to cover the above ingredients in the bowl

Koren hot pepper powder (flank preferred, 2 TBsp 16 g or any hot pepper powder, can skip too)

minced or finely chopped garlic 1 TBsp 20 g

Sesame seed oil 1 TBsp 7 g

optional: White sesame seeds 2 TBsp 12 g

Can cook 1 or 2 eggs to cover the rice on top later (sunny side up, york not fully cooked) with 2-3 TBsp oil

1. pour oil in pan, start making green onion oil till smell aroma or turning yellow
2. add meat here (optional)
3. add cutted eggplants, they will take in oil.
4. add soy sauce (circular pouring)
5. cook until eggplants get softer/brown (can add a bit sugar and/or mushroom flavor oyster sauce for deeper seasoning but it may not be needed)
6. pour cooked mixture on top of the raw rice covered with water (a bit less than usual)
7. cook the rice with multigrain function for 30-40 min.

Japanese Potato Salad

Cool potato salad is one of the great summer dishes, though I can eat it on any day of the year. Every culture that eats potatoes probably has its own unique recipe for potato salad. While potatoes are not really part of traditional Japanese cuisine, it's now a fixture in everyday cooking. When I was in junior high in the suburbs of Tokyo, our school's sandwich concession even had something called a 'vegetable sandwich', which was actually a mound of potato salad between two slices of white bread. Potato salad is often tucked into a corner of an obento box (lunch box), and it's also a popular beer or sake snack. My ideal Japanese-theme picnic would include onigiri (rice balls), some chicken karaage, and potato salad for sure.

Japanese potato salad has a mild, creamy flavor, with no acidic undertone; unlike American or German style potato salads, no vinegar is used. It's seasoned only with salt and a little pepper, and lots and lots of mayonnaise, and is just a bit sweet from the other vegetables mixed in - boiled carrots, thinly sliced cucumber, and onion. Some people even add a little sugar. Chopped boiled egg adds to the richness. It's really designed to go well with rice (as are most Japanese savory dishes).

The ideal mayo to use is a Japanese one of course; Kewpie Mayonnaise is classic, but there are other (and some say, better) brands too. Look for them at your local Japanese or Asian grocery store. If you make your own, use a flavor-neutral vegetable oil such as canola or safflower, not extra virgin olive oil. ("Extra Light" olive oil is fine.) Lacking access to Japanese mayonnaise or the time to make your own though, any commercial mayo will do as long as it's not too heavy on the vinegar flavor. Salad cream should not be used however.

Japanese Potato Salad

• 3 medium boiling (firm) potatoes, well scrubbed
• 1 small carrot
• About 10 cm / 4 inches of a seedless cucumber
• 1 small onion
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 to 1 cup of mayonnaise, Japanese or homemade preferred (see notes above)

Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender (you can poke a skewer through one without any resistance). Boil the carrot, unpeeled, in the same pot. Boil the egg until hard boiled at the same time.

In the meantime, slice the cucumber and the onion very thinly. Sprinkle both with a little salt, and let sit for a while (10 minutes or more) until the vegetables exude their juices. Squeeze firmly to get rid of the juices.

When the potatoes and carrot are done, drain peel them while still hot (holding each in a kitchen towel to peel them helps). Cut the potatoes into small pieces, and slice the carrot. Toss with a little salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Peel the hard boiled egg and chop up finely.

When the potatoes and carrot mixture has cooled to room temperature, mix in the cucumber, onion and egg. Mix in the mayonnaise. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator until serving time (ideally at least one hour).

If you are bringing this to a picnic be sure to pack it in a cooler - it will keep better, and taste better chilled than at room temperature. If you are packing it in an obento box, make sure the rice and other ingredients have cooled before tucking in the salad, or carry the salad in a separate container.

[Update:] A not-traditional but still tasty vegan version of this potato salad

The above instruction is from justhungry.com, where there are many authentic Japanese dish recipes.

I made the salad this time with one big potato, two Persian cucumbers, one small carrot, and one small onion, plus 3 eggs (I like eggs).  However, I also added one big apple cut in small chunks.  I forgot to add salt to the onion/cucumber, then squeeze out the liquid, so I'm somewhat concerned that my salad can be watery?  Probably can put less onion in the future as I'm not a fan for raw onion.

Fresh Strawberry Coffee Cake

• I did a very fast version of this cake for someone's birthday celebration.  So I actually increase to temperature to more than 400 F, add strawberries and crumb while it was baking to speed it up.Credit of this recipe is from allrecipes.com
  

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar (cut down)
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
  
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

Print 

• Prep
  15 m
• Cook
  35 m
• Ready In
  50 m

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch baking pan.
2. Beat 1/4 cup butter in a bowl until creamy; add 3/4 cup sugar and egg. Beat until fully incorporated.
3. Mix 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture, alternating with milk, into butter mixture until combined. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Arrange strawberries atop the batter.
4. Mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and coconut together in a bowl. Sprinkle topping over strawberries. (I cut it down to 1/3, 1/3, and 3 TBSP., but end up had to add a bit more flour to creat the crumbs)
5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Chinese Grandma's Banana Bread Lisa

New life for old bananas, part 1

25 AUGUST 2016

This is a recipe shared by Chinese Grandma, whom I also learn to make the dried fruit scones from. Below are her instructions with my added comments.

This is my holy grail banana bread recipe – super moist with deep banana flavor; springy and not heavy. The recipe is simple and perfect – and bakes into a beautiful gift-worthy loaf. 

Here's her other banana chocolate chip muffins (from New life for old bananas, part 1) for those who like chocolate :)

Start with butter and sugar (can use a fork)

Add eggs:

Mix well:

add the 3 old bananas (from the banana mashing plate)

Add mashed bananas and vanilla to butter mixture:

Prepare sour milk and add:

Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl:

Add in batches to the wet ingredients:

Voila, batter!

Grease pan – use the waxed paper wrapper from the butter (again, compulsive re-use!):

This is going to be a big loaf…I made it into two small loaves or can use a sqare glass tray dish instead :)

So much better than stinky decomposing bananas in the trash.

enjoy some peace, a hot slice of and a cup of tea. Luxury.

Banana bread Lisa
The best banana bread recipe – super moist with deep banana flavor; springy and not heavy.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup sugar (Lisa uses 1 1/2 cups, which makes for an even moister loaf)
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup milk mixed with
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (not needed if using salted butter)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan (an 8-inch square pan also works or two small alumni loaf pans).
2. In a large bowl, mix sugar into softened butter.
3. Add eggs; mix well.
4. Mash bananas and add to batter. Add vanilla.
5. Add vinegar to milk; add sour milk to batter (I used homemade pineapple vinegar)
6. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
7. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
8. Add nuts, if using.
9. Bake for one hour (a square pan will take less time), until toothpick comes out clean. It’s important to do the toothpick test with banana bread, as often it looks nice and brown outside but still needs a few more minutes to cook fully inside.

Note

• Her family actually likes it better when she cooked banana bread in a baking dish (an 8-inch square or 11″x7″, 2-quart Pyrex). It cooks faster (about 35-40 minutes), and the texture is softer and lighter. Her mom, a great cook but less-confident baker, also finds it much easier to know when the bread is ready in a baking dish than a loaf pan.

Here’s the link to a printable version.

Yakitori

 

 

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

42 mins

 

Author: Namiko Chen

Serves: 11 Skewers

Ingredients

• 10-12 5-inch bamboo skewers
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, at room temperature
• 9 scallions
• Vegetable oil

Yakitori Sauce (Tare)

• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup mirin
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tsp. packed brown sugar
  

Instructions

1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
   
2. In a small saucepan, add the mirin, soy sauce, sake, water, brown sugar, and the green part of 1 scallion, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half. It will take about 30 minutes. The sauce will be thicker and glossy. Let it cool to room temperature before using. Reserve ⅓ of the sauce in a small bowl for final coating.
   
3. Cut the white and light green part of scallions into 1 inch pieces.
   
4. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes.
   
5. On a flat work surface, fold each slice of chicken in half, insert into chicken at 45 degrees angle, and press down on the skewer to pierce thorough the center.
   
6. Alternate each chicken slice with a piece of scallion lined up perpendicular to the skewer. Each skewer will hold about 4 chicken slices and 3 scallion pieces.
   
7. Grease the grate of the broiler/wire rack (or oven-safe cooling rack) to avoid the chicken sticking on the grate. Place the skewers on top.
   
8. Set the broiler to high and wait until the heating elements are hot. Broil for 6 minutes.
   
9. After 6 minutes, brush the sauce on the meat on both sides and continue to broil for 3-4 minutes to caramelize the sauce.
   
10. Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and brush the chicken on top with the reserved sauce (with a clean brush).
    

Notes

If the sauce for final coating came in contact with the raw chicken, you have to need to boil the sauce again to avoid contamination.

personal notes by qiqi: I made it today using the gizzards only, the texture is a bit on the tough side.

Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. All credits and image goes to the site above.

Individual Baked Eggs and Easy Mini Quiche using muffin tins

I shared these two recipes with my son hoping he can make use of the muffin tins to make some breakfast in advance for the week ahead.

Two Recipes using muffin tins

Individual Baked Eggs Recipe

Individual Baked Eggs Recipe A very easy idea with a minimum of fuss or muss for any number of people. Individual Baked Eggs surrounded by a...

Easy Mini Quiche Recipe

Easy Mini Quiche Recipe Easy to make mini quiche that are baked in a muffin tin.

 Freeze the leftover in freezer bag write the date you made on it.  Should be able to take out to reheat them, serve just like those frozen food but it's homemade!