How Many Ways Can I Eat? Let Me Count the Ways

I, like most folks, always have some same-old same-old stuff in the fridge drawers.  Raise your hands if you always have these:

• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes

Me!  Me!

So just how many ways can you use them in cooking without getting bored eating them?  Here are three easy ones for me.  Healthy, good looking, and I am able to use up what's in the fridge (then go get some more).

Hot Pot - Do shabu-shabu everything in boiling broth

 Steamed Veggies - Perfect with ponzu dipping sauce

Udon Casserole - the secret is to smear miso on the side of the dish

Give it a try.  You don't need a recipe.  I am sure there are many more ways to use up these ingredients too.  Experiment and have fun.  I sure did.

Hello 韭菜盒子 (Chive Pockets), We Meet Again!

The first attempt I tried making  韭菜盒子 (Chive Pockets) was back in 2008.  It was a noble try but nothing to get excited about.

Checkout how I did the first time: Chive Pockets

Now that I have a better handle on FLOUR, I thought I would give it another try.  Can you believe that I am now experimenting northern Chinese food (steamed buns, pork buns, etc...)??  I'm not even from the North!!  OK, that's a story for another time.

Lessons Learned from my second attempt last night:

#1 - Follow the recipe.  Yes, flour is not your friend if you don't follow its rules!!  I learned that I need to use the right water temperature.  Cold, lukewarm or hot.  It depends on what you want to make.  For chive pockets, you need a temperature of between 65°C - 70°C (or 149°F - 158°F.  Yap.  Good luck with that).

#2 - Knead the dough.  I know! I know! And I'm pretty good at kneading dough now.  I know I need to knead that baby until smooth and elastic - just like breads!

#3 - More chive please.

#4 - Cook the ground pork first.  This was a big discovery for me.  I used uncooked pork filling the first time and it took forever to cook through.  I ended up cooking the chive pockets as if they were pot stickers.  And the result was GIANT pot stickers with dried hard skin.  The correct way is to gently brown all sides of the chive pockets and cover the pot for couple of minutes to heat through.  That's it.  So point #5 from my first try is a bad one.  Chive pockets are not pot stickers!!

So, here's the result of my second attempt.   Much better yes?  I now need to work on shaping the pockets so they stand up like little purses.

Spare (Me Some) Ribs

There are different types of ribs: spare ribs, baby back ribs, short ribs, prime ribs, etc...  And, there are many ways to cook ribs: roast, bake, grill, fry, steam, braise, or make soup. It's fascinating how many dishes can be created with just ribs.

I have three favorite rib recipes.  They all happen to be Chinese/Taiwanese dishes.  All three dishes require marinating the ribs beforehand and deep frying them first.  With different seasoning, you get different flavors.

Want woos and ahhs?  Try these:

台南的排骨酥 (Tainan Crispy Ribs in Soup) - This is a Taiwanese dish that my mom taught me to make.  It has a distinct flavor because the marinating sauce has a touch of five-spice powder.  You need to deep fry the ribs until very crispy then put the ribs with fresh daikon in a pot.  Cover with enough water and cook under medium-low heat until the daikon is soft and cooked through.  A bit of 當歸 is needed or the dish won't taste right.  It's a classic Taiwanese comfort food especially when you are cold and hungry.  A bowl of 排骨酥 will hit the spot.

京都排骨 (Mandarin Ribs) - Every kid I know likes this dish.  It's probably the catsup.  After you deep fry the ribs, you stir fry it with a sauce made of soy sauce, catsup and sugar.  Coat the ribs with this tangy sauce, serve with white rice and watch kids devour them.  Think of it as Chinese BBQ ribs.

無錫排骨 (Braised Shanghainese Ribs) - This is the newest recipe I've tried.  The ribs are cooked in a flavorful sauce until the sauce is all evaporated.  Like other dishes, the sauce contains ingredients that make it unique.  This sauce uses star anise and dried orange peel.  Yap, that's the secret.  It's a tasty dish.  I can't wait to try again.

Lastly, don't forget the good old BBQ Babyback Ribs.  So American, so satisfying and so good!