A basic Chinese kitchen

A few people have asked why is it I never post any Chinese recipes, when Chinese is what I cook predominantly. Well, the main reason is because a lot of Chinese cooking rests on a huge presumption - the presumption that you have all the standard ingredients that it takes to cook a standard chinese meal. And not being one who's ever gone out specifically to buy one or two (make that five or six) ingredients specially to cook Chinese, I'm not sure how it works for other people.

You see, it's not like you buy an entire bottle of soy to cook one meal - one bottle will last you probably several several meals, and if you don't cook Chinese everyday, then the bottle of soy just sits there, like a dark white elephant, gazing eternally at your bottle of Worcester sauce (my own dark white elephant).

But it occured to me that the next best thing is for me to start by listing what I think are the basic essentials of a Chinese kitchen, so that if you ever want to cook Chinese, well, it's there. And these things keep forever anyway. So... hence this post.

P.S. If you want to cook Chinese soups, which I do a lot because I grew up drinking soup and believe it has tangible health properties, that's a whole different kettle of fish for another post, alright?


A BASIC CHINESE KITCHEN

Equipment:

- Wok, with steaming rack (I have a big Proforge anodised carbon wok and a small Professional wok, both by Meyer. You can stir-fry, deep-fry, braise, steam, stew etc with one wok.)
- Wok ladle
- A very good chef's knife (you only need one knife, I promise you)
- Tongs or a pair of long wooden chopsticks (not the short ones used for eating)
- Ramekins (optional - I use these for preparing my mise en place when cooking several dishes, which is the norm for a communal meal.
- May I suggest a rice cooker as well? Zojirushi!

Things I always have in the fridge:

- Garlic (you can buy big tubs of peeled cloves from any grocery store, even Kroger)
- Ginger
- Red chilis
- Scallions
- Coriander
- Chili sauce (The Boy likes Siracha. I call it the American Asian sauce)
- Fresh egg noodles

In my pantry:

- Light soy
- Dark soy
- Light soy for seafood (optional - good for steamed fish)
- Dark soy mushroom flavoured (optional - useful for flavouring)
- Vegetable oil
- Sesame oil
- Chili oil
- Oyster sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Shaoxing wine (you can use vermouth, but... well, it's not Chinese)
- Worcester sauce (primarily for sweet and sour anything here, but obviously has other uses)

- Corn starch/flour
- Potato starch/flour
- Rice flour (we use brown rice flour)
- Sugar (ditto brown sugar)

- Dried mushrooms (Japanese mushrooms are the best)
- Dried chilis
- Rice


Ok, now we're ready to cook some Chinese...

Tiramisu

For all those of you who didn't know that Tiramisu is made almost entirely out of raw eggs, well, this post is for you...

There is Tiramisu. And then there is Tiramisu. You know? My dad loves Tiramisu in cake form. Haagen Daz makes Tiramisu ice-cream in the UK. Me? I like my Tiramisu extremely eggy and slightly foamy, in between layers of savoiardi biscuits touched with a hint of espresso and a lot of brandy.

I love eggs. I love everything related to eggs - custard, meringues, fried eggs over-easy (I did a personal Runaway Bride egg test once upon a time), eggs Benedict, did I mention custard?... I even have an entire cookbook devoted to eggs (2006, Marie Simmons, The Good Egg). Hence, I also love Tiramisu. Real tiramisu - not the sort that you find in some restaurants that tastes predominantly of cream. The eggy sort. And for those of you who only buy organic free-range eggs and live in central Houston: chee chee Central Market has the cheapest eggs (surprise surprise!). Eggland organic, however, is retailing 50c cheaper way out in Blalock, where you'll find me occasionally.

Anyways, back to my Italian trifle.


RECIPE: TIRAMISU
(serves 5)
(cooking time: 3 hours)

Individual glasses or one big trifle bowl
Two mixing bowls
Electric mixer (hand or standing)

A - Base
1 pack Savoiardi ladyfingers
1 1/2 cups Espresso, cooled (NOT coffee. Espresso. This is very important cos everything gets a little diluted as the dessert sets in the fridge)
1/3 cup Brandy (buy a small flight-size bottle and use the whole bottle)

B - Custard
500g Mascarpone (2 tubs should be enough, even if it doesn't make up exactly 500g)
5 Eggs, separated
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Whipping cream (1/4 pint should be good)

C - Topping
Cocoa powder


A - Mix espresso and brandy in a tallish container. Dip Savoiardi biscuits in for a second (not too long or else it'll get soggy) and arrange two layers in serving dish. If serving in individual glasses, I usually break each biscuit in two to fit within the circumference of the glass.

B - Beat egg yolks until light. Beat in sugar. Beat in mascarpone.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until you get stiff peaks. Fold into above mixture.
Rinse and dry bowl. Whip the cream until you get soft peaks. Fold into above mixture.

Layer complete mixture on top of soaked biscuits. Then add another layer of biscuits, and another layer of mixture. Leave in refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.

C - Sprinkle cocoa powder on top before serving. I like serving tiramisu with fresh strawberries on the side. The hint of tartness goes beautifully with the egginess and creaminess of the dessert.


I love easy comfort food. Mm...

Breakfast Eggs

My day usually starts at 6.30am. My husband, who would have been awake before that (freak), grinds and makes coffee when he gets up and eats a bowl of cereal over his Bible. Then he potters into the bedroom to wake me, which can be a protracted affair (I'm not a morning person). It is then my duty to make breakfast. At 6.30am in the morning, I'm usually not at my best. So for all you non-morning women out there, I want to give hope: It IS possible to have breakfast at home, dress AND make-up in an hour, and still get to work on time.*

* This assumes it takes you 30 mins to dress and make-up, and that coffee is done. A coffee machine is a good substitute for husbands in this case, but perhaps not otherwise.

This breakfast is healthy because there is no added fat except what you get from the bacon, and we eat only the whites of the eggs, so you get the protein without the fat (in the yolk). It can easily be turned into an English breakfast, except you'll have to slice mushrooms too. The recipe feeds two.

So, the little morning breakfast dance goes as follows:

RECIPE: BREAKFAST EGGS

(Cooking time: 20 mins)

1 frying pan
1 food processor

Bacon (Oscar Meyer has a low fat option)
Onion
Tomato
Eggs
Milk
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Refried beans (in can - Kroger brand fat free option has the best nutrition count, even beating Amy's and Rosita's)
Shredded cheese (optional)
Tortillas (optional)

- Husband wakes and makes coffee. Wakes me and jumps into shower.
- I get out of bed (reluctantly). I take ingredients out of fridge/pantry.

*switch to third person*

- Heat frying pan to medium heat (I actually do this first and take ingredients out of fridge while the pan is heating up) and lay 3 strips of bacon in pan. Fry till crispy, turning over half way.
- While bacon is frying, do all your slicing: onion, tomato.
- Turn bacon over.
- In a food processor, blend: 6-8 egg whites, dash of cayenne pepper, dash of garlic powder, 1/2 cup milk - this will ensure that your eggs turn out fluffy.
- Take bacon out and lay on kitchen towel.
- Add chopped onion into the remaining fat from the bacon and fry till soft. Then add egg mixture, stirring it around occasionally. This will ensure that you get a fluffy scramble instead of an omelette. You can scatter some shredded cheese at this point if you want.
- While the eggs are cooking, put refried beans in a bowl with a dash of garlic powder and heat in microwave.
- When the eggs are almost done to your preferred consistency, add chopped tomatoes and crumble the crisped bacon into the pan. Mix.
- Take refried beans out of the microwave (careful, it will be hot!) and put tortillas in (if eating with tortillas - this is optional), covered. The cover is important so that it doesn't dry out.
- Plate eggs and beans


*switch back to first person*

- While husband eats, I brush my teeth and put on some war paint, sipping coffee while doing so.
- I eat quickly, with husband, now being more capable of reasonable conversation. Then we dress. We leave. Some time in between all this, I make the bed and the dishes find their way into the dishwasher. More often than now, however, they get washed later.

While this might sound way too complicated for the morning, it is also safe to say that practice makes perfect. We do the drive-thru at El Rey sometimes too - nothing wrong with that. Sometimes we have an English breakfast instead (eggs over-easy, bacon, tomato, mushrooms), or bak chor mee (a version of Singaporean noodles) in the morning (it's an Asian thing), or roti prata (S.E. Asian pancakes) with leftover curry. Sometimes my husband heats up a frozen burrito himself so that I can sleep a little longer. Whatever works for you, so long as you remember to eat breakfast!

A quick and easy roast: Roast chicken... Chicken stock and Cream of chicken soup

Subtitle: The Chicken Post

Chicken is a wonderfully versatile animal - when it's cooked, that is. And in roast form, it is a quick and easy meal that feeds 4-5 (or two, with equally versatile leftovers) - bunk it in the oven and forget about it - which was exactly what I needed when my husband called me one afternoon this week to tell me that two great friends of ours were coming over for dinner, and they called later to ask if they could bring one more person. What a blessing to be able to host good friends!

Roast chicken is also a gift that keeps giving. In true Asian tradition, no part of the animal goes to waste here - first for a roast, then chicken stock, which can be turned into cream of chicken soup at some later point. Which was what I did when we had impromptu guests the next day...! Or, you can use the stock for other cooking.

So this post actually has 3 recipes. Here we go!

RECIPE: ROAST CHICKEN

Timetable:
(for a meal starting at 8pm with a 3 lb/1.5 kg whole chicken, with a side of garlic)

6.00 Preheat oven. Prep chicken
6.20 Put chicken in oven
7.00 Put in garlic side
7.50 Take roasted chicken out and stand for 10 mins
8.00 Prep gravy while someone else carves the roasted chicken

1 Roasting dish with rack

A - Seasoning
1 stick Butter (8 tbsp/113 g)
White pepper
Salt

B - Meat
1x Whole chicken (1.5 lb/ 1.5 kg)

C - Aromatics
1/2x Lemon

D - Garlic side
1 head of garlic per person

E - Gravy
1 cup Chicken stock
Splash of white wine


A. Pre-heat oven to 390 F/200 C. Soften butter and mix in salt and pepper.

B. Using your hand, separate the skin over the chicken breast from the meat, taking care not to break the skin. Slip the buttery seasoning under the skin with a flat spatula and, massaging the chicken skin, push it around until the whole breast is covered under the skin. Turn the chicken around and do the same. Brush the remaining butter all over, dabbing small pats of the buttery seasoning in the crevices of the wings and the legs so that they don't dry out.

This can get your hands a bit messy, and it will take a few washes with soap to get everything off and from under your nails. On the other hand, butter can be a natural moisturizer...

C. Quarter the lemon and stuff into the chicken cavity. Roast for 20 mins per pound, plus 30 mins. Take chicken out of oven and rest on its rack for 10 mins.

E. 50 mins before the chicken is done, put the heads of garlic in an oven dish with some olive oil and put in the oven. What this does is that it steams the garlic in their skin, and it makes a wonderful accompaniment to the roast chicken. I got this idea from Nigella Lawson.

D. While the chicken is resting and being carved (by someone else), transfer the chicken drippings onto the stove. Over direct heat, add 1 cup of chicken stock and a splash of white wine (I used Vermouth this time) and bring to a boil. Simmer until it is reduced to a syrupy consistency. You can add a tbsp of flour dissolved in 3 tbsp of water to help the thickening.

Serve with mash and salad.


RECIPE: CHICKEN STOCK
(Cooking time: 3 hours)

1 Saucepan

Leftover chicken carcass and bones
1 Bouquet garni (2 bay leaves, thyme, parsley)
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 stick Celery, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Clove
Salt and pepper

Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours.


RECIPE: CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP
(Cooking time: 15-30 mins)

2 pots
1 sieve
Food processor

A - Base
1.6 oz/45 g Butter
1x Leek, washed and sliced finely

B - Liquids
2 cups/500 ml Chicken stock from above
1 cup/300 ml Full fat milk (I use half-and-half in the USA)

C - Aromatics
2x Bay leaves
1 clove Garlic
Pinch of White pepper
0.5oz/15 g Butter

D - Meat
1 Chicken breast

E - Thickening
1 tbsp White flour, dissolved in 3 tbsp water
1x Egg yolk


A. Melt butter in pot. Add leeks and cook till softened.

B. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Lower heat.

C/D. Add the aromatics (except butter) and chicken breast. Simmer for 10 mins. Take the chicken out and dice. Blitz the remaining mixture in a food processor - this will probably need to be done in batches. Strain and push the blitzed mixture through a sieve into another pot on a low heat to keep it warm. Return diced chicken into the mixture.* Add 0.5 oz/15 g butter.

* Alternatively, for a soup with some bits in it, you could just dice the chicken, return it to the mixture, and blitz the whole thing - leeks, diced chicken and all - in the food processor.

E. Whisk in the thickening and serve at your preferred consistency.

I like to serve this soup garnished with finely chopped fresh chives.



Bon appetit!

Texan Chili

One of the best ways to dive into a new culture is to eat. And cook. And as I've discovered, the fascinating thing about America is that there is no "one" culture when it comes to food. Yet it is deep discussions like "who has the best bbq" (Kansas), or "the most authentic chili" (Texas) that forges an invisible bond - whether you are from New York or Arkansas. By the wayside, sport does that too.

Most foodies define "authentic" Texan chili as "the way I grew up", which obviously poses a problem from a research standpoint. The recipe here is one that I've tested and tweaked. The coffee gives it gravitas, and then there are several layers to the flavour. But if you grew up with tomatoes and beans in your chili, then this is not for you. On the other hand, if you like the taste of mole, then you'll probably like this too.

Do leave a comment to tell me what your "secret" ingredient is!

RECIPE: TEXAN CHILI
(Serves 6)
(Cooking time: at least 2 hours)

A - Aromatics 1
4 Dried chilis

B - Aromatics 2
1/3 cup Chili powder
2 tbsp Oregano (some say Mexican oregano)
1 tbsp Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Allspice
4 Cloves

C - Base
4 strips Bacon
1 White onion, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced

D - Meat
2 lb Ground beef (some Texans would argue diced beef)

E - Liquid
1 cup Coffee (a smoky roast does well here, to give depth)
1 bottle Beer
2 cups Water

F - Accent
1/3 tablet of Cooking chocolate, grated
Squeeze of lime juice (optional)

A. Cut the head and tails of each chili and slice it lengthwise. Shake out all the seeds. Heat in a small frying pan, dry, until the skin blisters a little. Soak in water for 1/2 hour and drain. Blend with 1-2 tbsp of water in food processor.

B. Mix all the spices together with 3-4 tbsp of water to make a dry paste.

C. Fry the bacon on the frying pan to a crisp. Set aside on some kitchen towels to drain. Add 2 tbsp of the bacon fat into a separate Dutch oven or pot, and fry the onions then garlic till softened. Add (B) and fry till fragrant.

D. Meanwhile, in the frying pan, use the rest of the bacon fat (2 tbsp) to brown the meat. It does not have to be thoroughly cooked, but it should be seared on the outside. Add to Dutch oven when browned, tossing to make sure that the meat is well coated with the aromatics.

E. Add the liquids and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer for 5 hours (at least 2 hrs). You don't want it watery, sort of sludgy (what a terrible way to describe it!).

F. In the last half hour, add the cooking chocolate and season with salt. At this point, taste the chili and add more of your favourite spices to taste. Squeeze some lime juice just before serving, or I like to serve with Doritos lime-flavoured chips instead.

Sunday Roast with English Trifle

Sunday roast is a beautiful thing - there is nothing more therapeutic than massaging a hunk of joint, stirring custard as the sun rises, and the manly smokey smell of meat in the oven that fills your house when you get back from church. We've lost some of the purity of cooking in our quest for convenience, I think. Don't get me wrong. I love a good pot roast and chili etc (everything in the pot and forget about it). But some Sundays, just some, it's just nice to take a bit more time for something special, to remember. Easter Sunday is always a good time, for example.

But it takes military discipline. Just as ballet does. Or gymnastics. I say this because the process captures your entire focus and heart. And precision and timing is of the essence. For this Easter, I scribbled this timetable down:

MENU
Roast sirloin joint, with Horseradish mustard and Gravy
Crunchy roast potatoes
Yorkshire pudding
Steamed broccoli
English Trifle

TIMETABLE (For a meal to be served at 1.30pm, with 4.5 lbs of meat, cooked medium rare.)

Night before: Prepare base of trifle. Season sirloin joint.
Morning: Make custard for trifle. Allow to cool and set in refrigerator.

1100 Pre-heat oven to 475 F.
1110 Sear beef in oven - 20 mins.
Peel potatoes, slice onions for gravy.
1130 Lower oven heat to 355 F. Roast beef for 1 hr 15 mins, basting occasionally.
Make gravy.
Peel and par-boil potatoes.
1230 Increase oven heat to 425 F. Roast beef at high heat for a further 15 mins.
Add fat into separate roasting pan for potatoes and put in oven.
1245 Take roast beef out. Cover with foil.
Add fat into pans for Yorkshire pudding and put in oven.
Put potatoes into oven.
Prep Yorkshire pudding.
1300 Put Yorkshire pudding in oven.
Prep and cook broccoli.
1330 Lunch is served.

RECIPE: ROAST BEEF (serves 5-6)

1 roasting dish with rack

A - Spices
1 tbsp Dry mustard powder
1 tbsp White flour
1 tbsp Pepper

B - Meat
4.5 lb Sirloin on the joint

A. Dry fry mustard powder, white flour and pepper in a small pan until fragrant (3 mins).

B. Cover fat side of meat with spices and leave in refrigerator, on roasting rack, overnight.
Sear meat in oven at 475 F for 20 mins. Reduce oven heat to 355 F and roast for 15 mins per lb, plus 15 mins for medium rare. Take out of oven and cover with foil. Rest for 30-40 mins.

RECIPE: GRAVY

1 saucepan

A - Base
15g Butter
1 White onion
Pinch of Brown sugar
1 tsp White flour

B - Liquids
300 ml Beef stock (use water from par-boiling potatoes if possible)
2 tbsp Marsala

A. Melt butter and saute onions at low temperature until soft. Add brown sugar and flour to caramelise onions.

B. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 20 mins. Puree the whole mixture and add meat juices when roast is done.

RECIPE: HORSERADISH MUSTARD

1 small tub Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp Grated Horseradish (more if you wish)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Pinch of Icing sugar
Pinch of Salt

Mix ingredients together.

RECIPE: CRUNCHY ROAST POTATOES

1 big saucepan or pot with lid
1 roasting dish

Potatoes - one for each person (I like to use a mixture of potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and cut.)

1. Par-boil potatoes in salted water for 5 mins. Drain.

2. Add 1 tbsp white flour (optional) and bang around in pot with the lid on.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil (if possible, use dripping from the roasting beef) in a roasting pan and put into oven for 15 mins at 425 F.

4. Take out heated roasting pan and, over a direct fire, add par-boiled potatoes and toss in the fat.

5. Roast in oven on the highest shelf for 45-55 mins.

RECIPE: STEAMED BROCCOLI

1 big saucepan/pot OR 1 steamer

3 Broccoli heads (or you can cut the stems off), separated

1. Steam broccoli for 3-5 mins (I use my big wok) until cooked but still crunchy. Or par-boil in a pot of water and drain.

2. Serve with salt/pepper and pats of butter melted over.


RECIPE: YORKSHIRE PUDDING

(Coming soon...)

RECIPE: ENGLISH TRIFLE (serves 5-6)

One tall glass per person (e.g. sundae glass, water glass, high-ball) - or you can use one big glass bowl for everyone.

A - Base
3 Roly polys (thin layer of sponge cake rolled with jam - if I have the time, I make my own, or you can buy these ready made in most grocery stores)
Marsala
Grand Marnier

B - Fruit jelly
1 packet of jello
2 cans Fruit cocktail

C - Custard
450 ml Double cream (I use half-and-half in the USA but increase the number of yolks to 12)
8 Egg yolks, beaten

D - Whipped cream
1 small carton Whipping Cream

A. Cut roly polys into 1 inch thick rounds. Place at bottom of each glass and decorate the sides of the base with half rounds. Spoon into each glass 1 tbsp of Marsala and 2 tbsp of Grand Marnier. Leave to soak.

B. Prepare jello according to the instructions on the package. Leave to cool. Spoon equal amounts of fruit cocktail into each glass. Pour jello mixture into glasses and leave to set in refrigerator overnight.

C. At least 4 hours before serving, prepare custard by heating the double cream in a saucepan on low heat. Just before it bubbles and boils, add egg yolks in little by little, stirring constantly. Stir until mixture thickens.* Leave to cool. When cool, spoon over trifle mixture to add another layer and leave to set in refrigerator.

* If the eggs look like they are about to scramble, take the saucepan off the heat immediately and plunge into cold water. But this has never happened to me; it should be pretty uneventful if the temperature of the fire is controlled well.

D. Just before serving, whip whipping cream until thicken. Spoon over trifle mixture to create the final layer. You can even grate some chocolate over to pretty it.