Fried rice with garlic and red chili peppers from the garden.

Dandanmian

Topped with fresh cucumber, shredded scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Stir Fried Water Spinach

Water spinach is probably one of my favorite vegetables. Here, I stir fried it with garlic, chili and oyster sauce.

Ebi Chili (Shrimp in Chili Sauce)

Chef Chen Kenmin was born in the Sichuan province of China and moved to Japan in the early 1950’s. He created a very successful career introducing Sichuan dishes such as this one and mapo dofu to Japan. Today Ebi Chili is one of the most popular Chinese style dishes in Japan. My version is a little spicier than most, so if you don’t want yours really hot, omit the red pepper flakes. In this picture, I served my Ebi Chili over steamed white rice and with a side of cabbage and carrot salad.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp + 1 tbsp sake
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 2tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 tsp tobanjan (chili-bean sauce)
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• salt to taste

Method: 

Shell and devein shrimp, then submerge in ice water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain the shrimp and place on and cover with paper towels, patting completely dry. Transfer shrimp to a bowl and sprinkle 1 tsp sake and 1 tsp corn starch. Mix thoroughly. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan. Place shrimp in the pan in a single layer and cook for 30 seconds on each side. The shrimp will not be cooked through. Remove from pan and set the shrimp aside. In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add in garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and fry until fragrant. Add in tobanjan and ketchup, stirring and cooking for about 10 seconds. Add in the chicken stock, remaining 1 tbsp sake and sugar. Simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes until reduced. Add in 1 tsp of corn starch mixed with a little water to further thicken the sauce. Transfer shrimp into the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the rice wine vinegar and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately over steamed rice.

Xihongshi Chao Jidan (Chinese Tomatoes Stir-Fried with Eggs)

Tomatoes stir-fried with eggs are so simple but surprisingly delicious and quick to prepare. I have to admit, the first time I saw this dish, the idea of scrambled eggs with tomatoes did not excite me, but I really have to come to love it. I believe a family friend taught my mother how to prepare this dish, who in turn taught me. Chao Jidan is a lifesaver for weeknights when you don’t have much time to prepare dinner. Serve it with steamed rice and sprinkle with Chinkiang black vinegar if you like.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 2 large tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 scallion
• Chinkiang black vinegar (optional)

Method:

Mince the garlic and chop the scallion finely. Cut each tomato into 8 wedges. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or a skillet over high heat. Crack and beat the eggs in a bowl. When the oil is very hot, pour the eggs in. Let the eggs cook untouched for about 30 seconds, then turn with chopsticks or spatula only a few times so that eggs remain in large curds. Do not overcook the eggs. They should be fluffy and soft. Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside. Wipe out the pan and then heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Drop in the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly until the tomatoes soften. Stir the eggs back in and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper and add the scallions. Serve immediately.

Hot and Sour Soup

This is my recipe for hot and sour soup and it is absolutely delicious. I recommend making this with chicken stock and strips of chicken or pork and an egg as well. To add an egg to the soup, beat the egg in a bowl and stir into soup in a thin stream right before the last step of adding in the sesame oil. Chinkiang vinegar is a fragrant Chinese black vinegar that is easily found at an Asian grocery store. Sichuan peppercorns have a numbing effect on the mouth that some find undesirable but in its whole form have a scent reminiscent of black pepper, lavender and peppermint. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped ginger
• 2 tbsp Korean hot pepper flakes 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup dried thinly sliced wood ear mushrooms, soaked in warm water
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced bamboo shoots
• 6 cups vegetable stock (I used Better than Bouillon mushroom base)
• 1 block extra firm silken tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• Chinkiang vinegar (I use Chundan brand)
• 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• large pinch of sugar
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
• 5 scallions, 4 chopped into 1 inch pieces and 1 finely chopped for garnish
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method:

Heat vegetable oil in a stock pot over medium. Add in chopped ginger and garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in hot pepper flakes and continue cooking for another minute. Add in shiitakes, wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let soup simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in the 1 inch pieces of scallion, vinegars, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, Sichuan peppercorns and tofu. Cover and simmer again for 10 minutes more. Mix together 3 tbsp cornstarch and 3 tbsp water. Slowly pour this mixture in a circular motion into the soup while stirring gently. Be careful not to break up the tofu cubes. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the soup thickens. Stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot, garnished with the reserved chopped scallion.

Mushrooms and Baby Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce

I came up with this Chinese style dish when I was trying to find ways to use up the vegetables in my fridge last night. It makes a very satisfying meal when served with steamed white rice. If you want to increase the amount of protein, I would suggest cutting some chicken or pork into thin strips and adding that in. If you are going to add meat, make sure to cook it separately as you would with the mushrooms and bok choy and then add it in with the sauce at the end.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp canola or grape seed oil
• 6 cups mixed shimeiji, enoki, shiitake and oyster mushrooms 
• 7 baby bok choy, cut vertically into quarters 
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon tobanjan (chili bean sauce, available at any asian grocery store)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 2 tsp water
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat in a wok or a large skillet. When the oil is very hot, add in the mushrooms and stir constantly for 5-6 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked through. Remove the mushrooms, draining them from their liquid with a slotted spoon and set aside. Discard the liquid. Wipe out pan and heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat again. Drop in the bok choy and stir fry until the green part has wilted and the stems are cooked but still crunchy, about 3 minutes. Remove bok choy from pan and set aside. Put remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan over low heat. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and stir constantly until fragrant. Add in tobanjan, stir for 1 minute more. Pour in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar and chicken stock and turn the heat back up to high. Let the sauce boil for 1 minute. Add back in the mushrooms and bok choy. Stir to combine and add the white part of the scallions. Combine the corn starch and water and stir into the pan. Stir in sesame oil. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the tops of the scallions and serve with steamed white rice.