Snacks at Old Tree Daiwan Bee

Earlier this year, I met Vi Vian for lunch at Old Tree Daiwan Bee, the relatively new Chinatown offshoot of the Old Tree Bakery up in Golders Green. You may remember that I visited the latter once and loved their pork chop rice and I was very keen to try their more centrally located restaurant.

The place itself is tiny with only bench seating for about 20 people. The small menu is full of Taiwanese favourites and as we couldn’t decide between it all, instead of ordering a ‘proper’ lunch, we ordered a few bits and pieces to share between us. Taiwanese sausage was served with slices of raw leek and were the sweet meaty sausages that I remember from my youth (the Chinese roast meat shops in Vancouver sold long links of them).

An oyster omelette was, of course, the Taiwanese kind, with the gloopy red sauce on top. This was quite tasty with its layers of oyster, vegetables, egg and fried starch. Yes, it tastes better than it sounds.

Taiwanese style salt and pepper crispy chicken may have looked dry but was anything but. Whoever’s in charge of the deep fryer knows what they’re doing – we were popping these into our mouths like they were going out of fashion. Wow.

We still had space for sweets! I’ll admit that Asian attempts at Viennese cream cakes are not my thing (I always find the taste and texture of the cream to be a bit odd) but I was willing to try anything. A big puffy coffee cream bun was first to be ordered. There was a good coffee flavour in the cream inside (of which there was a lot!) the big choux puff.

A matcha and red bean cake was also alright – again, this is more a reflection of my taste that the cakes there. I liked the matcha and red bean combo though!

Service, however, is surly and you’ve got to be quite assertive to even get your order in. Luckily, the food makes up for it. Still, it would be better if they could train their waitresses a bit better (this also goes for the Old Tree up in Golders Green) as they do occasionally go out of their way to ensure that you feel like you’re being a nuisance to them. I do hope to return though to try their other rice and noodle dishes.

via:http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2014/03/06/snacks-at-old-tree-daiwan-bee/

Donna Margherita

I can’t believe this was my first time at Donna Margherita in Clapham – I really do believe I must be the worst and most un-up-to-date of the London food bloggers out there. Whatever. We were there one weekday night as part of a large group from work to try their Neapolitan specialities. At our table, we chose to share a few starters before moving onto mains.

A Neapolitan selection of fried goodies (A’ fritturin) kicked off our meal – I found these even lighter than those I encountered in Naples, and hence enjoyed these greatly. There were potato croquettes, bite sized arancini, fried polenta and fried matchsticks of aubergine and courgette.

Meatballs (E` purpett) were fine…. sorry, not mindblowing but perfectly fine in a simple tomato sauce.

Finally, a parmigiana di melanzane (A’ parmigian e mulgnan) was silky and cheesy and gorgeous (have you ever encountered a bad version? I haven’t.). I could have had a large portion of this for my main course.

Blai and I split two main courses. Porchetta was an innovatively spiral cut bit of tender herbed roast pork belly layered with aubergine puree and served with spinach. I can never turn down a good bit of porchetta and this was indeed a most tender and crispy-edged good bit.

A side of friarielli was just as I remembered it in Naples. The wonderfully bitter green had been braised to melting softness in plenty of garlic, chilli and olive oil.

A pizza Romana was pretty solid but by this point in the meal, we were feeling a bit too full to enjoy it.

From what I could see of my colleagues’ dishes, it looked like their pasta dishes were also excellent!

I can’t believe I forgot to take a photo of the tiramisu we shared (as usual, we found our second wind for dessert)! As it was already quite late that night (our dishes took quite a while to come out as we were such a large group), there were only a couple of tiramisus left. Our tiramisu was excellent.

At our table, we ended up tucking into our friend’s Tortino di ricotta as well! This was a dense cheese cake that was utterly gorgeous.

It’s a fun buzzing place with excellent Neapolitan food; I can’t believe I never visited before – actually I had no idea that they served specifically Neapolitan cuisine. There are still a few things on the menu that I’d like to try and I hope to return sooner rather than later!

via:http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/donna-margherita/

Ram’s Restaurant in Kenton

Every so often, I need to make a trip up to Kenton (zone 4, Bakerloo line) for work and if you’re familiar with the area, you’ll know what a dearth of restaurants there is there. Luckily for me, there is Ram’s, a pure vegetarian Indian restaurant that specialises in the food of the Gujarat.

For £4.99, one gets access to the lunch buffet in the back of the restaurant. There’s always some kind of rice, salad, poppadoms and freshly fried puris brought straight to your table. There’s at least two curries and some kind of starter and some kind of sweet too. Everything tastes fresh, service is friendly and there’re always a few people tucking in. I’ve been a number of times now and here are photos from a few visits.

Bhel puri, tomato curry, channa masala, jeera rice.

Potato bhaji, mung bean curry (one of my favourites), paneer tikka masala, vegetable biryani.

This was not the buffet but my friend’s lunch thali – two veg, rice, rotis. It’s a little pricier but then you get the choice of what veg curries you want. It’s now changed a little according to their latest menu and it’s £6.90 for two veg, rice, three puris, dal, papad and pickle.

Back to the buffet. Spring rolls with chutney, potatoes, chickpeas. The puris are addictive!

This was my latest meal there a couple weeks ago. I’m a bit upset that they switched their lovely compartmentalised trays for these giant platters – I like keeping my curries separate!

Dhokla, mung bean curry, dhal, green bean and potato curry. The carrot thing turned out to be dessert (gajar ka halwa), all sweet and highly scented with cardamom.

They’ve got an a la carte menu but I rather enjoy the lack of choice with the buffet! Don’t let the fact that the restaurant serves vegetarian food put you off – everything is wonderfully spiced and I love trying out the different curries. And come on, I mean, puris! Deep fried breads! Highly recommended if you’re in the area for lunch.

via:http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/rams-restaurant-in-kenton/

snickerdoodle cheesecake

I’d like to introduce you to my favorite new flavor cheesecake:  Snickerdoodle Cheesecake

It’s been a while since I made this one, and its pictures have been haunting me in my photo collection ever since.  A few of my family members were in town visiting, and we needed something good for dessert.  The thing is… we had a couple things to consider.  #1:  Many of us like to eat light and #2: my Mom is gluten free, so we had to choose something she could enjoy too.  My sister is often recommending recipes from magazines, and she had pulled this recipe out of an issue of Better Homes and Gardens from last fall.  Since I’m a snickerdoodle cookie FANATIC, it sounded wonderful to me… and it would be easy to turn it into a gluten-free version too.  As far as eating light… well… we at least used light cream cheese- ha!

While this is not a low calorie dessert, devouring a small slice of it will totally satisfy your craving for sugar.   I’m all for eating kind of a plain-type cheesecake without a lot of sauces or toppings or anything excessive like that.  I love cheesecake enough not to mess it up with a lot of extra stuff, so this cheesecake meets that criteria.   It’s a delicious and creamy textured cheesecake with a cinnamony-crust on top.  Perfect!

Our gluten-free adaptation of this recipe turned out very well.  We used Cup-4-Cup Gluten Free Flour Blend (my favorite to use for baking).  And for the crust we just used some gluten-free sugar cookies (animal cookies would work fine too).  My gluten-free Mom was happy that she was able to eat it too.  It was enjoyed by all of us.  Did it taste like snickerdoodles?  No, not really.  But it was a delicious cheesecake with a cinnamon-sugar touch!

CRUST:
10-ounces shortbread cookies, finely crushed or ground in food processor (I used gluten-free sugar cookies)
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted

FILLING:
Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese (I used low-fat), at room temperature
3 large eggs, lightly beaten (at room temperature)8-ounces sour cream
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons Gold Medal® All-Purpose Flour (or gluten-free flour blend)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

TOPPING:
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prepare the crust:

In a medium bowl stir together cookie crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter and mix until combined. Press the crust onto the bottom and 1 1/2-inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

3. Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, flour, vanilla and cinnamon- mix until smooth. Then mix in eggs. Pour the filling into the pan, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Place the springform pan in a shallow baking pan.

4. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until a 2 1/2-inch area around the outside edge appears set when gently shaken. Cool in the springform pan on the wire rack for at least 20 minutes, then use a knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. Cool 30 minutes more, then remove sides of the pan. Cool the cheesecake completely, then cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

via:http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/03/17/snickerdoodle-cheesecake/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRecipeGirl+%28The+Recipe+Girl%29

stuff i’ve gotta share and you’ve gotta see

Here’s a recipe I shared on Parade Magazine‘s food blog this week:  BEST-EVER SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE SAUCE.  I made this for my family last weekend and served it over spaghetti squash.  We loved it!!!  My son wanted “normal” noodles, but my husband and I both loved the spaghetti squash. The recipe makes a large batch so you can eat half now and freeze the rest for another day.

Here is the gorgeousness that is on my Culinary Covers blog today:  CHICKEN KHAO SOI (by Lindsay from the Cafe Johnsonia blog).  It’s a Thai soup with a ton of interesting flavors that appeared on a Bon Appetit cover last year.  Check out Lindsay’s review of the recipe.  And I just can’t get over how beautiful her photograph is!

Here’s what my little cutie made for his RecipeBoy blog last week:  GRAMMY’S IRISH SODA BREAD.  This is truly his Grammy’s recipe passed down from her grandmother in Ireland- though we did make a few minor changes to the original recipe.  It turned out really great- nice and moist and tender.  We enjoyed it for breakfast and snacking for many days with a little butter and honey.  Thanks, Grammy!

I thought this was kind of a fun post that I spotted on Parade:  THE MOST POPULAR BOOK IN EACH OF THE 50 STATES.  Check out the list to see what book is most popular in your own state… have you read it?  For Nevada, the most popular book is Scandal Becomes Her by Shirley Busbee.  It’s a romance mystery and not something I would ever read… isn’t that weird???

Here’s a handy-dandy spice substitution chart that Duncan Hines shared on their Facebook page.

These are 3 food blogs I follow and LOVE.  You should follow them too! >>

• FOODIECRUSH:  Heidi blogs from Utah.  I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know Heidi, and my family has even been to a barbecue at her house!  I can’t say enough about her- she’s just plain awesome.  Heidi is an amazing photographer- she has helped many bloggers create e-books, she writes a seasonal online magazine called, FoodieCrush (of course), and she shares some pretty amazing recipes on her blog too.  Her latest post:  Garlicky Avocado Grilled Cheese with Tomato Pesto.
• HALF BAKED HARVEST:  Tieghan blogs from Colorado where she lives with her 6 siblings and parents.  She has been cooking for her family since she was 15.  There is so much talent wrapped up in this young girl that I can’t even wrap my head around it.  You must check out her blog to see the creative ideas she comes up with for recipes- you will most definitely be seeing a cookbook from Tieghan in her future (that’s my prediction anyways)!  Her latest post:  Cheesy Black Bean and Quinoa Taco Bake.
• CHOCOLATE & CARROTS:  Caroline blogs from South Carolina.  Her blog is a balance of all things good.  A new site design grabbed my attention this week- it’s beautiful, and it was all done by her talented techy husband.  Scanning through the collection of her latest posts on her home page… I want to make everything.  That’s how a food blog becomes one of my favorites.  Caroline’s latest post is this extremely gorgeous Green Noodle Bowl.

I am intrigued by this post from Cate at Sweetnicks.  She shares what she has experienced as an amazing secret to having the softest hair imaginable:  COCONUT OIL!  Check out her post for details!  I’m totally trying it.

Here’s a recipe that caught my eye today:  HONEY SWEETENED CARA CARA ORANGE JAMon Aimee’s Simple Bites blog.  I’ve never seen an orange jam before, and we love Cara Cara oranges at our house.  Definitely putting this recipe on the to-do list!

I want to make these too:  PIZZA MACARONI & CHEESE MUFFINS from the Rachel Cooksblog.   Whoa.  I know my kiddo would enjoy these.  I’m thinking they’d be fun for an after-school snack when his buddies come over and they’re all starving and raiding my pantry.

My family and I recently took a short trip to San Francisco.  We stayed in a cool hotel in a great location, had some good eats and did some fun things.  You can read all about it >HERE.

It’s the LAST WEEK of the SOLO Simple But Good Recipe Contest.  I hope you will consider entering your 6-ingredient or less recipe with a FAMILY NIGHT THEME for this last week.  Seriously, it’s super easy to enter a recipe that you already have (don’t need to create something new) on their Facebook page.  If I were entering, I’d do a simple gourmet grilled cheese or pizza or something like that.  My family loves that stuff.  Enter the contest > HERE.  The prize this week is a Solo Product Pack, pizza cutter, set of 4 placemats, and a Recipe Girl Cookbook!  Good luck!

And finally… my stuff wouldn’t be complete without sharing a video: Here is Pentatonixbrand-new cover of Pharrell’s song, “Happy.” I think you’ll like it!

Until next week, my friends, have a good one!

via:http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/03/19/stuff-ive-gotta-share-and-youve-gotta-see-48/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRecipeGirl+%28The+Recipe+Girl%29

onion, bacon and spinach frittata

Here’s a beautiful low-carb, low calorie meal for breakfast or lunch (and we’ve even eaten it for dinner):  Onion, Bacon and Spinach Frittata

Apparently winter is over and spring started happening yesterday.  I know it’s been crazy snow around the country, but spring is definitely happening where I live- 63 degrees and sunny.  I’m not super happy about that since we need a major snowstorm or two if we want to ski into late April.  But I’m sort of resigned to the fact that I’ve skied a good number of times this year, and I’m looking forward to my standard summer wear of flip flops and shorts coming up very soon.  I thought this dish today would be a nice, light, spring-ey sort of dish to share.  After all, there are only 9 weeks left until Memorial Day weekend- where you might be forced to wear a bathing suit for the first time since winter.  It’s time to start thinking about eating light, and this frittata is exactly that.

This recipe is kept light by using a mix of egg and egg whites, turkey bacon (though sometimes I sneak in real bacon), sweet Vidalia onions, a lovely amount of spinach and a light sprinkle of cheese.

And you know what’s actually super cool???  One serving is HALF of the frittata.  So… yep, you get a good amount to eat all to yourself.

Or you can cut it into wedges, then eat one wedge and GO BACK FOR SECONDS so it seems like you’re indulging in more than you’re supposed to have when you’re really not.  That makes perfect sense, right?

I’m gonna go ski one last time this weekend– in the slush or ice or whatever is left– and then I’ll be crossing my fingers for one last mighty snowstorm to end the season.  Then I’ll welcome spring or summer or whatever comes our way next with open arms.

2 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
5 large egg whites, beaten
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups sweet Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon granulated white sugar
4 cups torn fresh spinach
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Cook chopped bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.

3. In large bowl, combine bacon, pepper, nutmeg, egg whites and egg. Stir well and set aside.

4. Add onion to the skillet; cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add water and sugar. Sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender and golden brown. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes, or until spinach wilts. Gently stir in egg mixture and spread evenly in bottom of skillet. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or until almost set.

5. Wrap handle of skillet with foil; place skillet in the oven, and bake for 5 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake one more minute.

via:http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/03/21/onion-bacon-and-spinach-frittata/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRecipeGirl+%28The+Recipe+Girl%29 

surprise inside cakes cookbook {giveaway}

Amanda is the author of the wildly popular baking blog- I Am Baker.  She knows her stuff when it comes to baking up delicious goodies- ESPECIALLY CAKES.  A few years back she had the idea for sneaking things inside of cakes so that when you cut into them you get a really cute surprise!  The best part is that Amanda totally knows how to make delicious base cake too, so you actually get to eat something that is both cute AND delicious.

Here are a couple of the cakes that you’ll find in the book. The first one pictured is an Ombre Cake, which includes dark chocolate, chocolate and white cakes hidden inside.  Amanda even shows you step-by-step how to make the cool frosting petals on the cake.  The second cake is a balloon cake, which is totally adorable for birthdays.  There is a red velvet balloon hidden inside the white cake.  YUM.  Again, Amanda shows you step-by-step in the book (many pictures) how to make this cake happen.

These are a few of my favorites in the book:  The Daisy Cake,  The New Year’s Eve Cake and the BUNNY CAKE ( so cute, right???)

And in my humble opinion, this is the most impressive Surprise Inside Cake of all:  The Rainbow Heart Cake with these gorgeous buttercream roses covering the outside (yes, Amanda shows you how to make the buttercream roses too!)

This book is a must-have for bakers who love to create new things… creative things… impressive things.  Amanda Rettke makes it really easy to follow her step-by-step instructions (with photos supporting the steps involved) so that you can make these cool cakes at home.  And she includes recipes for all of the base cakes and frostings involved in the recipes too.  You can pick up this book on Amazon > Surprise Inside Cakes by Amanda Rettke, and you can enter to win a copy of the book here.  See details on the widget below (give in a little time to load, and it will appear!)  Good luck!

This giveaway ends on Friday, March 28th, 2014. It’s open to anyone with a USA mailing address. A copy of this book was sent to me for review purposes. There are Amazon affiliate links included within this post.

via:http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/03/24/surprise-inside-cakes-cookbook-giveaway/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRecipeGirl+%28The+Recipe+Girl%29

stuff i’ve gotta share and you’ve gotta see

On Parade Magazine’s blog this week I shared a round-up of 9 AMAZING CAKES TO MAKE FOR BIRTHDAYS!  Which one do you want for your birthday??

And over on my Culinary Covers blog, I’m sharing a very easy and delicious recipe for SLOW COOKER CHICKEN- TORTILLA SOUP.  It makes for a great weeknight meal for those busy days when you don’t have time to make dinner.

My almost-13-year-old RecipeBoy made this for dinner the other night, and he’s sharing it on his blog today:  ALMA WAHLBERG’S AMERICAN CHOP SUEY recipe.  He’s a huge fan of the Wahlburger’s TV show (it’s about Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg and their Mom… and their burger bar in Massachusetts called Wahlburgers).  The show is on A&E- we all enjoy it!  Oh, and this recipe was really easy to make and we liked it a lot!

One of my food blogging friends- Kierstin of the very successful Oh My Veggies blog- has a new e-book out:  HOW TO MONETIZE YOUR FOOD BLOG– yes, you can make money doing this food blog thing!  She shares great strategies and tips.  Check it out!

Also, I discovered this magazine for professional women bloggers- iBlog Magazine.  I ordered a subscription, so I hope it’s good!  It actually looks like it has some great, helpful content.  Can’t wait to get my first issue.

My sister shared this “Selfie” app that she discovered:  CamMe.  It allows you to set up your iPhone and take hands-free selfies by using clever hand gestures to control the camera.  How fun, right?  It also has the ability to do the “photo booth” type thing where it takes a series of consecutive photos.  Can’t wait to try this one out!

If you’re on Twitter, there is a site you can visit that will tell you the very first tweet you ever tweeted!  Here is mine… about baking Christmas cookies.  I can’t believe I started on Twitter in 2008- that seems like such a long time ago!!!  Here is the website > FIRST TWEET.

I’ve been craving cookies this week.  here are some delicious cookie recipes I found on Pinterest that must be made SOON:

• OREO WHITE CHOCOLATE PUDDING COOKIES (by Two Peas and Their Pod):  Soft white chocolate pudding cookies with Oreos and white chocolate chips.  I need these!
• STRAWBERRY SUGAR COOKIES (by Cooking Classy):  These are just beautiful for spring and Easter.  I want one right now.
• BUCKEYE BROWNIE COOKIES (by Tastes of Lizzy T):  Best of both worlds- combining buckeyes and brownies- YUM.
• CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP SNICKERS COOKIES (by Baker’s Royale):  PACKED with both chocolate chips and Snickers Candy Bars.  YES.

Here’s a great post on The Kitchn on how to clean an oven without using chemicals- HOW TO CLEAN AN OVEN WITH BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR.

Here are three blogs that I follow and love- you should consider following them too! >

• HUNGRY GIRL POR VIDA:  Cindy blogs from Portland, Oregon… a place I really want to explore.  She mostly shares super creative recipes and delicious, imaginative writing on her blog- with a few crafts and other things mixed in too.  I feel like Cindy’s blog is unique and fun to read.  Her recipes are totally my kinda thing.  Cindy’s latest post:  Grilled Goat Cheese, Bacon & Jam Breakfast Sandwich
• RECIPEBOY:  Brooks is my almost 13-year old son, and he blogs from our mountains between Lake Tahoe and Reno, NV.  It’s about TIME I featured my own kid.  He’s a pretty cool kid, actually, though I sure wish he was into eating more vegetables!!  Brooks features whatever recipes he thinks are looking good on his blog.  Sometimes he chooses his own, and sometimes I suggest things to him.  We work together to change recipes to how we might like them best.  I take pics of Brooks preparing the recipe, and he takes the final beauty shots of the dish.  Any money he makes from his blog goes directly into his college account (his hopes are high as he has toured many of the Ivy League colleges and maintains good grades!!)  His latest post:  Wahlberg’s American Chop Suey.
• DAMN DELICIOUS:  Chung-Ah blogs from the Bay Area (but she’s a New York native).  I can honestly say that her blog is one of my absolute favorites.  She blogs quick and easy, beautiful, delicious recipes, and she never disappoints.  Everything is perfectly displayed and she has an innate ability to know what everyone is craving at any given moment!!  Chung-Ah’s latest post:  
• via:http://www.recipegirl.com/2014/03/26/stuff-ive-gotta-share-and-youve-gotta-see-49/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheRecipeGirl+%28The+Recipe+Girl%29
• 
  

Spicy Wok-Fried Chicken with Chilis (Chongqing Chicken)

I had been meaning to update this recipe for a while. Whenever I teach Intro to Sichuan cooking classes, we focus on simple and easy-to-love stir-fry dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, and Dan Dan Noodles. But anyone who has spent enough time in good Sichuan restaurants is bound to eventually try a dish listed as Chongqing chicken, Sichuan chicken with chilis, wok-fried chicken, or a number of similar names. (Lazi jiding is the name in Mandarin.) And inevitably in every class, when I go around the room during the intro ice-breaker and have students list their favorite Sichuan dish of all time, at least one or two will mention this dish.

When a student in a private class I recently taught requested we work on this dish, it reminded me of how long it has been since I made it at home. And so I decided to update this, making it extra crunchy with the method I developed for dishes like General Tso's Chicken and Chinese Lemon Chicken in my cookbook.

Lazi jiding (辣子鸡丁) is like a more sophisticated version of kung pao chicken. It's smokier, spicier (a lot spicier if you chop up the chilis), and only a bit more complex in its preparation. (The way I make it is more like shallow-frying. I use about 3 cups of oil, and dredge the chicken in a cornstarch-salt-pepper mixture beforehand.) Few fried chicken entrees are enveloped by such a succulent tongue-tingling sauce.

Give this one a try, especially if you've already tried your hand at some of the more basic Sichuan dishes and want to up the ante!

________________________________________________________

Spicy Wok-Fried Chicken with Chilis (Chongqing Chicken)

Serves 4

• 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups peanut or vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
• 8 to 10 dried red chilis
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
• 1 small piece ginger, minced

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 egg whites

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon chicken stock or water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chicken with the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes. 
2. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce: chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock or water, and cornstarch. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl or plate, mix together the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in cornstarch mixture and shake off the excess cornstarch. 
4. Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
5. Drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to remove any brown bits, but don’t wash.
6. Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base and sides. Add the dried chilis to the wok and and stir-fry until just they start to blister, about 30 to 60 seconds. Add the leeks, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in sauce mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add the fried chicken, toss to combine, and remove from heat. Serve immediately.
7. via:http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/spicy-sichuan-wok-fried-chicken?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+appetiteforchina+%28Appetite+for+China%29

Chinese Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce

I just came back from a long weekend of Chinese New Year celebrations in Boston, where I basically gorged on good seafood the whole time. 

It's the double threat of being in a New England city known for its abundance of seafood, and being in the midst of the New Year celebrations where lobster, steamed fish, seafood nests, and shrimp and scallop stir-fries are de rigueur. So naturally, when I came back to New York earlier this week, I was still on a seafood high. And wanted to continue cooking it both for weekday meals and for sharing with you all on this here blog.

Fermented black beans, if you're not already familiar with them through dishes like mapo tofu or black bean chicken, are very potent and tasty, but definitely not the most attractive ingredient in the world. They come prepackaged in either a plastic bag or a plastic or glass jar. The best way to describe the smell right out of the package is "super funky barnyard". That said, when cooked, they add a wonderful earthiness to Chinese dishes, so that's why we use 'em. However, if you do buy them in plastic, it's best to transfer them to a glass container with a tight lid, to store in the back of the fridge. That way, their lovely funky aroma won't bother anyone and they'll keep for a really long time. 

This shrimp stir-fry is extremely quick to put together. In fact, it is almost too quick. So you should have everything on hand with the expectation that it'll all be over in less than 5 minutes. I add some baby bok choy for color and good leafy green vitamins. If you like the earthy pungency of black beans and garlic, and still want to taste the lightness of perfectly cooked shrimp, give this one a try!

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Chinese Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce

Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal

• 1 pound jumbo or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 2 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed, drained, and lightly mashed with the back of a spoon
• 1 pound bok choy, hard ends trimmed and leaves separated
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until pink all around, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. In the same wok or skillet, add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and cook just until aromatic, about 20 seconds. Add the fermented black beans and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the bok coy and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. Stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the bok choy is slightly wilted.
3. Return the shrimp to the pan. Stir-fry for another 1 minute, until the shrimp is well-coated with the sauce. Transfer everything to a plate, garnish with scallion greens, and serve. 

via:http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/chinese-shrimp-with-black-bean-sauce?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+appetiteforchina+%28Appetite+for+China%29