Onion Pancake

Chinese style pancake--pan fried with little oil and eaten without syrup. It is considered as breakfast food but there's nothing sweet about this dish. It is normally cut up like a pizza and eaten without condiments. Made with wheat flour and sprinkles of green onions, this salty flat bread is a popular accompaniment to congee and noodles.

Jung

Jung is the Chinese (Cantonese) translation.

This sticky rice bundle stuffed with a myriad of different ingredients (some or all of but not limited to these): pork, Chinese sausage, duck egg, shiitake mushroom, mung bean, dried shrimp.It is wrapped in softened (soaked) bamboo leaves and bounded tightly and tied to hold in all ingredients before cooking. Initially it is boiled for several hours, then can be frozen and then reheated by boiling or steaming (my preference) before eating.

Preparing and making jung involves much effort, patience, and organization. Jung is mainly eaten during the winter season. After steaming, cut the string and carefully lift open the leaves (caution! hot steam), to enjoy a warm and savory all-in-one meal.
Optional: chestnuts. Roast or boil, then peel the skin and chop to smaller pieces to combine with the other ingredients. Chestnuts have a mild nutty flavor. They are soft and dry when cooked.


Optional: dried scallops. Soak until soft, then peel apart into slivers. A little goes a long way in flavor with dried scallops.


Glutinous or sticky rice is short-grained. Once cooked, it is literally sticky and the grains stick together like glue. (Photo shows the uncooked rice.)


Mung beans are small yellow or green colored beans. The beans are cooked before stuffing into the jung, to ensure that it will be cooked thoroughly. The mung bean layer sits adjacent to the glutinous rice before other ingredients are stuffed inside the jung.

Dried shrimp has a very deep shrimp flavor. You don't need much since its flavor is stronger than most of the other ingredients. It needs to be soaked before cooking. Soaking will make it soft and more plump than the dried version.



Chinese roasted pork is a popular type of meat used to stuff jung. Some use chicken. The roasted pork adds immense meaty flavor.


Two or three long bamboo leaves are used to wrap jung. The wrapping style and stuffing ingredients will depend on the region, or from personal preference of how jung preparers were taught to wrap jung. You may notice that the jung in Chinese grocery stores or restaurants will differ slightly from each other.



A sample jung half-way devoured. This is a different type of jung than the ones shown above. This "Shanghai jung" is slightly larger and more triangularly wrapped. Its ingredients are similar to any other jung.

Glutinous Rice Balls - Savory (Rice Ball Soup)

Similar to chicken and dumplings, but Chinese version, with chicken and glutinous rice balls in place of wheat dumplings. This is my ultimate comfort food eaten during the winter season.

The chicken broth is simmered from the chicken drumsticks in this recipe. Rice balls are prepared ahead of time so that they are added to the boiling soup at the end to cook until they float. Slices of daikon (asian radish) and shitake mushroom adds flavor to the broth. Slices of ginger are added to the broth to give it some zing.

Glutinous Rice Balls - Sweet

uncooked glutinous rice balls

cooked rice balls in simple syrup (with hint of ginger)

cooked rice balls in peanut paste

Some call this mochi (Japanese name). This sweet dessert dish is popular during the winter solstice, and is also eaten during Chinese Lunar New Year.

The sugar syrup is best simmered with a couple slices of ginger and a small sliver of orange rind to provide that hint of gingery citrusy flavor.

Glutinous rice balls, as the name indicates, is made from glutinous rice flour. The dough is formed by adding water to produce a smooth ball of dough.

Dessert rice balls can be plain or center-filled. Popular fillings include sesame, red bean and peanut pastes. Dessert rice balls with filling inside compares to chocolate molten lava cakes. The filling spills out with each bite.

TIP: Place rice balls on a tray to freeze separately, then remove to store in bag. Then it will not stick together when freezing.

All Things Pumpkin

Pumpkin cheesecake bars

Pumpkin bread

Pumpkin loaves

Pumpkin tart

Not many people enjoy the taste of pumpkin. It's an acquired taste. With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays close together, it is almost impossible to avoid hearing about pumpkin on TV or seeing it at the store.

This nutrient-rich fruit is healthy and versatile. Almost the entire melon is used. It has a high beta-carotene content and is packed with antioxidants. It can be used as decoration or as an art project. Its seeds can be roasted and enjoyed as a snack. Its pulp/flesh can be used in many other desserts such as the most popular pumpkin pie.

Coconut Mochi

Hawaiian specialty influenced by a popular Japanese dessert--a sweet, soft but bouncy yet chewy textured cake that is made with rice flour.

Be mindful that rice flour and glutinous rice flour are not the same. Choosing the correct type of rice flour can make or break your recipe.

Sticky Rice Cake

A traditional and popular Chinese New Year dessert, sticky rice cake is a sweet warm dessert to promote good health in the new year. "Nian Gao" is the English translation of the Chinese words that sound like "year" and "growth". It is prosperous to include this dish along with many traditional dishes eaten during the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Nian Goa is made with glutinous rice flour and brown sugar to give sweetness and its brown color.

Variations of this dessert exist according to regions and their cuisines. Sticky rice cake is initially steamed at first and can be eaten as is (steamed) or refrigerated and then cut into slices to pan fry with very little oil (above photo) or thinly battered with egg and then seared. The result of pan searing will provide a light outer crisp with a soft and chewy center.

MaPo Tofu

An authentic Chinese dish that you rarely find at your local Americanized Chinese "take-out" restaurant. Mapo sauce can range from mild to very spicy. This Sichuan (origin) dish commonly includes tofu and ground meat with a chili bean sauce. Other variations exists with additional ingredients and range of spiciness.

MaPo Tofu is paired great with white rice and eaten during cold season.

Won Ton Noodle Soup

Uncooked won tons

Won ton noodle soup

Much healthier and heartier than instant noodle soup.

Pre-make won tons and freeze the uncooked won tons on a tray separately before freezer bagging them. Won ton wrappers are readily available at your local grocery stores in the cold aisle. To cook the ready-made won tons, simply simmer the frozen won tons in with the soup broth until softened (few minutes). Be mindful to not over-cook. The wrapper/skin of the won ton will soften too much, then break apart.

Add Chinese vegetables to the soup for finishing touch. I prefer using the "won ton" egg noodle. They withstand better in hot soup. If making home made won tons is not convenient, oriental grocery stores carry pre-made packaged won tons.

Instant "Dry" Noodle

package of dry instant noodles

Combination of seasoning, sauce, and  freeze-dried vegetables

Finished product

Instant noodles in soup base are more popular than the ones without soup. Preparing instant dry noodles is just as easy. Better yet, add more ingredients such as vegetables, egg, and meat/fish balls to complete the dish. You still have to cook this even though it is instant...almost!

TIP: Sometimes, instant noodle packages provide a packet of chili powder or some kind of spice that is too spicy! For those who cannot take the kick, leave it out or moderate it yourself.

Home Made Pizza

Homemade pizza that really looks homemade is shown with replacing a couple of ingredients. Pizza making can be very versatile that you can add on any topping desired.

Try other options:

1. different types of flatbread - tortilla, pita, or naan
2. put a different sauce on the bread - alfredo, zesty tomato, salad dressing
3. make themed pizzas - dessert, vegetable/salad, BBQ, seafood

Don't be afraid!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Home made everything, but you don't have to, to achieve results like this...go semi-home made or all out store bought.

TIP: Pre-make and bake tons of meatballs and freeze on a tray separately before bagging. You can save a lot of time by simply defrosting and reheating it along with sauce on spaghetti night.

Coconut Macaroons

Egg whites, coconut flakes, and sugar makes this dessert cloud. It is best eaten shortly after they finish baking. Slightly crisp caramelized coconut flakes with a soft and chewy center.

Vietnamese Sandwich

You can eat for cheap. Meat and vegetable (both pickled and fresh) nestled in French bread. One of my favorite kinds of sandwich.

Gourmet Junk

Sometimes you should treat yourself to some elegant junk food.

Dark chocolate, wafer-like cracker with a thin smear of cream in the middle. \The other version of an Oreo cookie.

Flaky chocolate straws with cream in the center.

Mochi is a popular snack/dessert in Japan and Taiwan. It is made from glutinous rice flour. You can find it either in the frozen aisle or by the baked goods section in an oriental grocery store. Mochi comes in many flavors with a variety of center fillings. Some are ready made to eat while others require cooking. The mochi in the photo is coated with sugar and chrysanthemum dust (fairy tale dessert).

Chow Mein

Pan seared egg noodles

Packaged egg noodles

Voila! Beef chow mein

This is one of my favorite noodle dishes in Cantonese cuisine. You can combine several food groups for a balanced and delicious meal. Leftover chow mein is especially tasty because the egg noodle (you can also get egg-less chow mein noodle) has absorbed some of the sauce and left to merry with the other ingredients. I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late night snack.

Here I have thinly sliced beef, tomatoes, bok choy, and sliced red onion with the egg noodles. Cook the ingredients separately in a wok, then combine altogether with a brown sauce to finish.

Fresh Squeezed OJ

Store bought orange juice cannot compare to the fresh squeezed orange juice that you make yourself. Include the pulp for higher fiber content and nutritional value. The taste of self-squeezed fresh OJ tastes different than store versions.

Baked Fries

A little more work and wait but well worth the effort.
Slice it with the potato skin on, like how they have it in New York.

TIP: Add spices (garlic powder, chili powder, five spice powder, or even curry powder) for an extra kick.

Coat the fries with a little oil to bake. There's no guilt!

Milk Tea What? What Milk Tea?

A Taiwanese sensation swept across America. Many flavored drinks -- tea, juice, shake, etc., are coupled together with tapioca. Slurped through "fat" straws, the consistency is similar to glutinous rice balls or dumplings (American version). Texture should be "bouncy" & "chewy" but soft. The tapioca is flavorless although some may like to lightly sweeten it up before serving. I prefer milk tea with tapioca the most.

Don't get confused by its different names. They all mean the same thing.

Tapioca milk tea or milk tea tapioca
Boba milk tea
Bubble milk tea
Pearl milk tea

Although they can range in color and size, the tapioca are typically black and compare to the size of a small blueberry.

The Good Fat Sandwich

Eat fat, the good fat - Avocados. How to choose? It has to have a little give. Half it, pit it, gut it, then mash it. Spread it on your sandwich alone or with other regular sandwich ingredients. Result: a hearty, rich, and tasty sandwich.

Don't wait too long to eat your sandwich unless you've added a dash of lemon juice to the avocado (to prevent browning), which is still edible but less appetizing in appearance.

Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables!

Salad ingredients has to be FRESH! Add nuts like sliced almonds, or dried fruits such as raisins for extra nutrition. Be sure to moderately use a favorite dressing. You don't want to lose the original taste of your dish.

TIPS (in no particular order)
1. Use spring mix for variety
2. Make your own dressing - mix dashes of balsamic vinegar and olive oil
3. Pack for lunch (school or work) or picnic - separate wet and dry ingredients
4. Add protein - sliced chicken, hard boiled egg, cubed tofu, and/or nuts
5. Use more spinach - baby spinach is best; and iron-packed too!

Inspiration to Cook

I have several mouths to feed, a few times each day, everyday. I need to be creative, even if I need to use a can opener.

These are the people who inspire me to cook. I am also a huge influence due to my food cravings and being such a big fan of food.