My favourite mango chicken dish is surprisingly simple and is served at the restaurant, Magic Wok in Markham, ON. They stir fry pieces of chicken with slices of fresh mango and ginger and serve it in a delicious basket made from deep fried shredded taro. I’m on the look out for the properly shaped Chinese wire basket/strainers so that I may recreate this restaurant style dish at home. In the meantime, I make a homestyle chicken and mango stir fry with bell peppers for added crunch and colour. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand.
Archive for the ‘Asian’ Category
Chinese Borscht Recipe (Lor Sung Tong)
In Asian, Soups, Soups and Salads on June 2, 2011 at amOriginating from Ukraine, borscht is a soup that is made with beets as the main ingredient. Surprisingly, you may find borscht or even Russian borscht (“loh sung tong” / “lor sung tong”) on the menus of some Hong Kong style diners. The borscht served in these Chinese restaurants is more like a hot and sour vegetable soup with tomatoes and/or tomato paste as the main ingredient(s). It’s delicious and my siblings and I love it. In fact, every time my brother sees me, he asks me when I’m going to make more of this soup for him. I made it for my housemate recently and she asked for the recipe. Every Chinese restaurant makes their borscht slightly differently, so feel free to add whatever vegetables you like. The following recipe was created to taste just like the soup that’s served at our favourite Hong Kong style diner in Markham, ON.
How to Make Chinese Rice Wine
In Drinks, How-To, Other Asian Foods on April 14, 2011 at amCooking with Alison’s Grandma (Part 1 of 4)
We had a family reunion in NYC to celebrate my grandma’s 80th birthday in March, 2011. While I was there, I asked her to show me how she makes some of the family’s favourite dishes. This is how she makes Chinese rice wine. It is surprisingly easy to make!
Chinese Steamed Pork Belly with Muy Choi
In Meat and Eggs on March 30, 2011 at amI remember the first time I tried this dish. It was at Magic Wok Restaurant in Markham, ON and my family liked it so much that for a long time after that, we ordered two of them every time we went. The sauce and muy choi are a combination of salty, sour, and sweet flavours that are delicious on plain white rice. The meat is tender from a multi-step cooking process. But the best part is the rind. The fat gets broken down into a soft and slightly gummy texture. Since most of the fat has been boiled and steamed out of the rind, you get all of the deliciousness without the grease. If you make this a day in advance, you can remove even more fat after it chills through in the refrigerator.
Teriyaki Chicken with Bean Sprout Medley (and a teriyaki sauce recipe)
In Meat and Eggs, Sides and Sauces on March 6, 2011 at amTeriyaki sauce ranges from thick to thin and salty to sweet depending on where you’re getting it from. This is my favourite teriyaki sauce recipe. Adjust the consistency and flavouring to your taste. Serve this with miso soup (recipe here) and Japanese restaurant style salad with miso dressing (recipe here).
Photos above: Teriyaki sauce used as a marinade (left) and used as a sauce poured over cooked chicken (right).
Steamed Minced Pork (3 Variations)
In Meat and Eggs on February 16, 2011 at amIn many Chinese homes, this quick and simple dish is served with rice and other dishes for dinner. I have provided recipes for 3 different variations, but you could use any ingredients and any combination that you like. My favourite combination is the steamed minced pork with salty duck eggs. (I will load a photo the next time I make it.)
Steamed minced pork with muy choi (Chinese salted mustard) is shown below. Note that traditionally, the meat is seasoned with soy sauce and the muy choi is simply scattered over the top. However, I’ve reduced the sodium of this dish by omitting the soy sauce and mixing the muy choi (which is already salty) in with the meat.
Chinese Bakery Hot Dog Buns Recipe
In Baked Bread on February 8, 2011 at amChinese bakeries always have a great variety of buns, cakes, and cookies to choose from. I love Hong Kong style bakery buns because the brioche-like bread is super soft. One of my favourites is the hot dog bun and luckily, it’s very easy to make. Although it is time consuming to make the dough, most of the time is spent waiting for it to rise. I tried three different recipes for Chinese / Japanese style bread and the water roux method (tang zhong) was by far the best. My family couldn’t get enough of these. 🙂 These are freezer friendly so you can make your efforts last.
Depending on the bakery, I’ve seen hot dog buns shaped in one of two ways (photos below). Instructions for both have been provided.
Asian Bread Making Technique (Soft Chinese / Japanese Bread)
In Baked Bread, Breads on February 7, 2011 at amJapanese and Chinese breads are well known and loved because they are deliciously soft and fluffy. When Yvonne Chen published The 65 C Bread Doctor, she made the water roux method (tang zhong) very popular. I tried two other highly rated asian bread recipes before attempting this and the water roux method (tang zhong) was, by far, the best. My family absolutely loved it. This results in bread very similar to those sold in Hong Kong (Cantonese/Chinese) bakeries. By changing the way you shape the bread and by adding various ingredients, you can use this as your base for all sorts of buns and breads. For example, see my instructions for Chinese bakery hot dog buns here. Coming soon: recipes for Chinese bakery pineapple buns and cocktail buns.
Curried Beef Brisket, Tendons and Daikon Radish
In Meat and Eggs on January 23, 2011 at am
We love ordering braised beef brisket on rice or soup noodles from Cantonese (Chinese) restaurants and cafes. One of the variations that we like is the curried one. The best parts are the connective tissue and the tendons that get broken down and become soft and chewy. 🙂 (See the plain, braised beef brisket and tendons recipe here.) If you have leftover daikon radish, see here for a list of other recipes.
Braised Beef Brisket, Tendons and Daikon Radish (Chinese Restaurant Style)
In Meat and Eggs on January 21, 2011 at am
We love ordering braised beef brisket (nguw lam / ngow lam) from Cantonese (Chinese) restaurants and cafes. It is served over rice or noodles in soup. The best parts are the connective tissue and the tendons that get broken down and become soft and chewy. 🙂 Although it’s very easy to make, I had failed several times to recreate the restaurant flavour. Then I heard that the secret ingredient is chee hou sauce, so I bought a jar and tried again. It was exactly what I had been missing (other than MSG). The closest substitution that I can think of is hoisin sauce, but chee hou is more acidic, has more punch, and tastes more like fermented black beans. So, I don’t recommend substituting anything for chee hou. (See my curried braised beef brisket and tendons recipe here.) If you have leftover daikon radish, see here for a list of other recipes.
Pad Thai Recipe
In Rice and Noodle Dishes on January 11, 2011 at am
There are so many different ways to make pad thai authentically, that it really annoys me when restaurants don’t make it properly. The worst is when the “pad thai” is made with a thick, red coloured sauce. I rarely order it so as to avoid disappointment. Luckily, pad thai is very easy to make at home. It usually contains rice stick noodles, bean sprouts, Chinese chives, fish sauce, and sugar. White vinegar or tamarind are used in Thailand for the sour component of this dish. More information on tamarind has been posted here. Depending on the street vendor, other varying ingredients include eggs, tofu, pork, dried shrimp, fresh shrimp, preserved raddish, and/or dark thick soy sauce, etc. So add whichever ingredients you like. Ed and I prefer a mildly and lightly flavoured pad thai, but you can adjust the sweet and sour balance of the recipe below to your preference.
Miso Soup Recipe
In Asian, Soups, Soups and Salads on January 4, 2011 at am
Miso soup is a simple Japanese soup that consists mainly of dashi stock and miso paste. Miso paste is available in a variety of colours (ie. yellow or red) and flavours (ie. salty or sweet). Additional ingredients, such as seaweed, tofu, mushrooms, and/or pork, are often added to this soup. Although instant miso soup powders are widely available, this soup is very easy to make (minus the MSG and preservatives). Traditionally, wakame is the seaweed of choice, but this time, I used dulse, a red seaweed that I bought in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (photo below). See my post on how to use dulse here.
Cooking with Alison 
