3 Cups Chicken (三杯雞)

If you are still willing to learn something new from here then I'm back! :)

Okay, This three cups chicken is just easy and delicious. The bigest feature for this dish is by using three different kinds of seasoning. (that's why we call it Three Cups Chicken)

Most of Taiwanese love this dish not only have it with a regular serve but also have it with beer when you hang out with friends.

Shall we?

Ingredients:

Chicken leg----2 (with bone)
Thai Basil----20g
Garlic----6 glove
Chili, chopped----1
Ginger, finely shirred----1 big chunk

Seasonings:

Soy sauce----3/4 cup

Cooking wine----3/4 cup (Taiwanese style or asian atyle)
Sugar----3/4 cup

Prepareations:

1. Grab a big saucepan, by start cooking the chicken till it's golden-brown.

2. Add garlic, ginger, chili and all the seasonings.

3. Stir it well and cook it till the juice is thick and reduced.

4. Add basil, serve with steam rice.

Spicy Clams

Ingredients:

• Catty Clams----1 pound
• Thai Basil----20g
• Garlic, finely minced----4 glove
• Chili, chopped----1

Seasonings:

• Thick soy sauce----2Tbsp
• Cooking wine----1Tbsp
• Sugar----1Ts
• Sesame oil----1Ts
• A pinch of white pepper powder
• Salt to taste

Preparations:

1. Fry Garlic and chili in 3 tbsp oil till fragrant, then add clam and seasonings, stir well.

2. When clams shells start to open, add basil, stir well.

3. Serve with steam rice.

Pigs Feet (Hand) Stew

I guess this dish might terrify you.

"What have you done?"

Well, if you are a fan of Chinese food, you probably heard of the dish and are willing to give yourself a chance to try this wonderful cuisine. It's just easy and delicious.

Nutrition is another reason that pig's feet are good sources of collagen for our body, and it's a complex protein maintaining strength and flexibility of skin. Sound's great, right?!

So, be brave. Let's cook it!









Ingredients:

• Pigs feet (hand)----1 Box (you can find it at your local gorcery stores)


• Ginger, finely shirred----1 big chunk


• Garlic, pill skin off----10 glove


• Star anise----5


• Green onion----3 stalks
  
  

Seasonings:

• Brown sugar ----2 oz (if you can find the Chinese block/rock sugar, it is even better)


• Chinese cooking wine ----1 tsp


• Dark soy sauce ---- 1 tbsp


• Light soy sauce ----1.5 tbsp


• Oyster sauce ----1.5 tbsp


• Salt to taste


• 5 spices powder----1Ts

Preparations:

1. Pre-cook the pigs feet
2. Large pot, fill it with all the ingredients.
3. Add water to cover the pig feet,close lid, bring to boil.
4. Then, bring to lower heat,let it simmer for 1.5 hour.

Tip: we want to cook the pig feet until they are tender.

Garlic Flavor Fired Shrimp

If you love seafood just like I do, you should try this Garlic Flavor Fried Shrimp recipe. You can either have it as a side dish when drinking with friends or serve it as a main course with steam rice at home.

The point for this dish is not to overcook your shrimp and keep it juicy and tender.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp----200g



• Garlic, finely minced----4 glove



• Green onion, chopped----3
  


• Chili, chopped----1
  
  

Seasonings:

• Salt----2Tsp


• White pepper powder----1Tsp
  

Preparations:

1. By start cleaning the shrimp, cut the head off.

2. Add oil into a pat to fry the shrimp until it's cooked . For preparation.

3. Grab another sauce pan, add 1 Tbsp oil, add garlic and chili , salt , white pepper powder and cooked shrimp. Mix well.

Black Pepper Beef Stir Fried

Ingredients:

• Sliced beef----1 box


• Onion,finely shirred ----1


• Carrot,finely shirred----1 big chunk


• Garlic , finely minced----2 gloves


• Egg withe----1


• Corn powder----1Tbsp
  

Seasonings:

• Soy Sauce----2Tbsp


• Sesame oil----1Tbsp


• Cooking wine----1Tbsp


• Black pepper----1 Ts


• Soy sauce paste(Thick Soy Sauce)----1Tbsp


• Sugar----1Tbsp


• Salt to taste

Preparations:

1. Start by marinating the beef with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cooking wine for 10 minutes. For Preparation.

2. Add corn flour and egg white to the beef and mix well. (remember this step should be the last one just before heating your sauce pan.)

3. In a large sauce pan heat the oil (about 2Tbsp) on high, add beef then quickly stir it until it's medium well. For preparation.

4. By using the same sauce pan to cook onion. Add beef,Soy sauce paste and black pepper then stir well.

5. Serve with steam rice.

Stir fried sauce with fish fillets

Ingredients:

• Catfish fillets----4


• Finely shredded ginger---1 big chunk


• Finely shredded green onion----4
  
  

Seasonings:

• Soy sauce----4Tbsp


• White sugar----1Tbsp


• Cooking wine---1Ts
  
  

Preparations:

1. Start by seasoning the fish fillets with cooking wine a 5 minutes.

2. Grab a big bowl then add ginger, green onion and seasonings, for preparation. (step 1)

3. In a large non-stick sauce pan heat the oil on high, fry the fish until it's well-cooked.

4. Grab another sauce pan, add some oil, heat the oil on high, add step 1, stir it for 10 seconds.

5. Pour the sauce on top of the fish, serve with steam rice.

Beef Stew

Beef stew is always a favorite street food on those chilly winter days.
The Chinese have been cooking stews for centuries mainly known as “red cooking” by using some ingredients like soy sauce, spicy bean paste and sugar. These ingredients are what give a red cooked dish it's unique flavor,taste and color.

Another important ingredient of this dish is that it uses star anise, a wonderful potent scent Chinese spice. Star anise is usually used for stew recipe which is for it's main flavor and you can find it at your local grocery store.
Okay, Let's cook!

Ingredients:

• Stew beef meat----1.5 pound


• Green onion---3 (chopped)


• Ginger----1 big chunk and slices


• Garlic----5 glove


• Red chili---3


• Onion----1 and slices


• Star anise----4
  
  

Seasonings:

• Spicy bean paste---2TBSP


• Sugar----3TBSP


• Cooking wine---2TBSP


• Soy Sauce----5TBSP


• Fresh ground white pepper-1Ts


• Salt to taste.
  

Preparations:

1.Cut the stew meat into small chunks .

2.In a large non-stick pot heat the oil on high and cook the beef until brown.

3.Add onion, stir it until it's soft. Then, add ginger,red chili, star anise, and all the seasonings.

3.Cook on high until the liquid has evaporated and the beef is evenly coated.

4.Add water and the beef is covered and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer on low for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

5.Add green onion then serve with stream rice or Chinese thin noodles.

Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu is an easy-make dish. Since I came to the US. I have cooked it many times and I love doing it, especially when I am not in the mood of cooking big meals, Mapo Tofu is the best choice! It's easy and inexpensive. Well, It's my homemade style Mapo Tofu. Why don't you give it a try. It's just easy and delicious.












Ingredients :

• Tofu----1 Box
  
• Ground pork or beef ----1 /2 proud


• Garlic ,finely minced----2 gloves


• Ginger ,finely minced----2 slices


• Green onion, chopped

Seasonings:

• Spicy bean paste----3Tbsp


• Chili powder----1Tbsp


• Soy Sauce----1Tbsp


• Water----1/2 cup


• Brown sugar----1Tbsp


• sesame oil----1/2Ts


• Salt to taste

preparations:

1 Cut the tofu into a small cubes. For preparation.

2.Add 1TB oil in to a saucepan, put garlic into it, stir it for a while.

3.Put Ground pork/beef,stir it until it's well cooked.

4.Add all the seasonings,mix well.

5.Add tofu, Carefully mix tofu with sauce, let it boil for 5 minutes.

6.Add chopped green onion on top of it.

7.Serve with steam rice.

Sweet Red Bean Soup

In Taiwan, sweet red bean soup is a common dessert you can find everywhere, especially during freezing cold winter. According to Compendium of Materia Medica(本草綱目), red bean is beneficial for circulation system and blood-making function. It also can strengthen your kidney and stomach.

Besides serving as hot soup, the dessert is also perfect with shaved ice or/and ice cream. Shaved ice with milk and red bean(紅豆牛奶冰) is one of the most popular dessert in summer. Because of the difference in color and density, the mixture of red bean and milk naturally forms irresistable pattrens on shaved ice. When you taste it, the red bean sweetens the milk, and the milk makes the red bean juicy and easy to swallow. In the meantime, the shaved ice melts and balances the temperature. After having a bite, you will understand what I said....

Ingredients :

• 1 cup dried red azuki beans


• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup sugar
  

Preparations :

1.Soaked azuki beans for 4 hours or overnight, drained.

2.Put azuki beans and 6 cups water in large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered until beans are tender.

3.Add sugar then serve it either hot or cold.

Salmon Fried Rice

This dish is super easy and delicious. Besides, I only use a little oil to cook it. The secret is to choose the salmon fillets with skin. This part is full of natural fish fat so that you don’t have to add more when cooking. Fried fish skin tastes and smells great too!


Another secret of fried rice is that don’t use fresh steamed rice. The best choice is the one you cooked yesterday and put it into fridge overnight. This kind of rice contains less moisture and makes the best fried rice.









Ingredients:

• 2 bowls of overnight steam rice


• 2 eggs


• 2 salmon fillets


• Some sea weed strips

Preparations:

1.Start by seasoning the salmon with salt, fired the salmon until it's well cooked.

2.Stir the fish meat into small pieces,for preparation.

3.Make scramble egg with 1 teaspoon salt,for preparation.

4.Add steam rice and mix it with fish meat and eggs.

Tip: you can put the eggs on top of the rice or just mix them together.
Enjoy it!

Fired Dumplings

Dumpling is traditional northern style Chinese food. Some families serve it during Chinese New Year Eve because the shape of dumpling looks like ancient golden nugget, a symbol of fortune. Some people even stuff a token into it. Whoever eats that special one can have extraordinary luck in the next coming year.

Besides the thickness of the wrap, the major difference between dumpling and pot stickers

(a.k.a. pot stick, gyoza, guotie) is the way people cook it; you can make both of them with the following recipe.

Ingredients:

Dumpling dough:

• 500g all purpose flour


• 180g cold water


• 1/4TB salt

Dumpling filling:

• 600g ground pork or beef


• 2TB soy sauce


• 2TB sesame oil


• 1TB salt


• 1TB Chinese rice wine or cooking wine


• 1/2TB sugar


• Finely shredded cabbage


• Finely shredded green onion- 1 small


• 2 slices fresh ginger and finely minced


• 5 spices powder

Preparations:

Dough :
Stir the salt into the flour and slowly stir in cold water. Adding as much as is necessary to form the dough. Roll the dough well and let it rest at least 30 minutes.
To make the dumpling dough: Divide the dough into the same size balls. Roll each piece out into a circle about 3-inches diameter.While the dough is resting, prepare the filling ingredients.

Filling :
Salt the cabbage for a while then drain thoroughly by squeezing. Mix cabbage,chopped green onions and meat. Add spices and other seasonings. Final step is adding a egg to make the filling full with moisture.(It'll make dumplings taste juicy.)
Taste for seasoning by cooking small amount of the meat mixture in boiling water.

Making the dumplings:
Put a small portion of meat in center of dough rounds. Wet one edge of semicircle. Fold together, flute the edge. Let dumplings stand on floured plate.

To cook:
Put oil to cover bottom of pan. Stand dumplings in and cook in hot oil until bottoms are browned. Then pour in water to almost cover. Add lid. Cook until dough is translucent.


Dipping sauce:
Soy sauce, sesame oil,chopped green onion, sugar, minced garlic. Add some minced chili if desired.

Dumplings can be boil in hot water if desired too.

Stir Fried Beef with Green Pepper

In the US, I notice that many Chinese restaurants serve stir fried beef with broccoli or other vegetables. Actually, In Taiwan the better ingredient for beef stir fried is green pepper. So, Why don't you try to make this dish at home?!




















Ingredients:

• Sliced beef----1 box
• Green Pepper,finely shirred ----1
• Carrot, finely Shirred----1 big Chunk
• Garlic , finely minced----2 gloves
• Egg withe----1
• Corn powder----1Tbsp
  
  

Seasonings:

• Soy Sauce----3Tbsp
• Sesame oil----1Tbsp
• Cooking wine----1Tbsp
• White pepper powder----1/2 Ts
• Sugar----1Tbsp
• Salt to taste

Preparations:

1. Start by marinating the beef with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine and white pepper powder for 10 minutes. For Preparation.

2. Add corn flour and egg white to the beef and mix well. (remember this step should be the last one just before heating your sauce pan.)

3. In a large sauce pan heat the oil on high, add beef then stir it until it's medium well. For preparation.

4. By using the same sauce pan to cook green pepper and carrot. Add beef, stir well.

5. Serve with steam rice.