Ma Po Tou Fu

I have been cooking for a lady who had a stroke. She has always cooked for the family, and now since her stroke, she cannot use her right hand very well. She is very upbeat about her disabilities and tries to do as much as she can. We are a great team - she the instructor and me the willing doer. Our chats while things are getting done is throughly gossipy.

I am learning a new style of cooking. She hardly uses garlic. The onions come from spring onions added in the end.

She uses a soft tofu that is not the silken type and not the hard chou tofu. After cutting into 1 cm cubes, it is put into salted boiling water until the water boils again. The tofu is then strained, it remains firm.

Heat a little oil, and fry the meat. I fried onion/garlic/ginger before adding the meat. But I think this is unnecessary. The next time I will probably double cook the meat. I shall wash the meat in hot water, remove and strain then add it to the oil to fry.

Add the boiled tofu and heat with the meat for a few minutes before adding soy sauce and the Taiwanese Chilli Bean sauce.

Coat the sauce thoroughly through the meat and tofu. Allow it all to heat and cook through. 

Add chopped spring onions and serve

Another tip I learnt from her: When cooking ready made frozen jiaoza, put it frozen in cold water to boil. When the water starts to boil, add a cup of cold water and let it boil again. When it boils the second time, it is cooked. I think this way, the skin is less likely to break. 

Hong Shau Rou

Sang Ye's Hong Shau Rou (Braised Pork)

1kg streaky or marbled pork (use spare ribs if marbled pork is not available)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablesp sugar
2-3 cloves garlic
5-6 slices ginger
2 stalks spring onions cut thinly
1 tablesp oil
2 tablesp cooking wine
an 'appropriate amount' of star anise
an 'appropriate amount' of cinnamon
an 'appropriate amount' of cumin
an 'appropriate amount' of brown peppercorn
an 'appropriate amount' of MSG

Dice the pork into 1.5cm cubes 'mahjong slices'.

Place the diced pork into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. Drain and set the boiled pork aside. Reheat the pot, add a bit of oil, ginger and spring onions, garlic and stir. Place meat back in the pot and stir again. Add all the condiments, the soy sauce, wine, sugar, and 6 to 7 cups of water and bring the boil. Simmer for one hour or so. until most of the water has evaporated. If the meat is not yet tender, you might have to simmer for a while longer.

Recipe: Gyoza I

I don't know how bloggers take all those photos of the food while the cook. Aren't their hands full of flour, the kitchen table too messy, their mind on what to do next, if the water with flour ready for the pour? In addition to all that Nathan needed help doing his lego (he just needs attention ALL the time!!!) - Mama I want you to help me....

A friend Kei showed me how to make some guotie with bought skins and filling she made. I was really eager to try it but had to find my ingredients first (the right gyoza skin)

Just for info:

Gyoza is a staple Beijing dish that my father in law introduced to me. It was the first meal we had together and I think I didn't make a great impression eating 15 of them in one meal. I loved it. Unlike dumplings one sees in dim sum meals, Beijing gyoza is boiled, not steamed and filled with lots of vegetables and less meat. The skin is handmade and rolled fresh ready to be filled.

In Taiwan, guotie is more popular. They are 'fried' gyozas. Gyoza's (in the mainland) are boiled and the left overs are fried the next day and called guotie. In Taiwan, guotie is the norm; they use more meat fillings and mass produced skins. which withstand the frying. The end result has a crispy bottom where the dumpling sits on the pan which contrasts to the top which is steamed.

In Japan, their dumplings are fried like the Taiwanese guotie but their fillings are completely different. Their skins are different too. I don't know how to make Japanese dumplings, which the Americans pronounce differently than the Beijing gyoza although spelt the same. Their fillings are quiet complex and not as fresh tasting as the original.

So, how did I make mine? I am writing this out to for my reference and future trials.

Guotie

Minced pork
Ginger juice
Cabbage, finely sliced, salted overnight and squeezed
Garlic chives, finely sliced
Spring onions
Rocket, finely sliced (just because it needed using)
Salt
Pepper
Oyster sauce
Soy sauce
Sake (substitute for chinese wine)
Sesame Oil
Chicken Oil
Sugar

Mix all the ingredients
Prepare a plate for the wrapped guotie
Sprinkle flour on the plate
Have a small bowl of water handy
Prepare the water and flour mixture (1 cup)
Make the guotie
Hold the wrapped in one hand,
Fill with a teaspoon of filling
Wet one half edge with water
Join the two halves together making a frill pattern, try to ensure there is no air in the guotie (takes skill)
Arrange the guotie on the plate
Heat pan till very hot
Pour enough oil to cover the pan and a bit more
When the oil is hot, arrange the guotie on the pan
Pour the flour and water mixture and immediately close the pan
Leave for 15 minutes and make sure the filling is cooked
Prise carefully around the pan
Place a plate over the pan and turn it over so the guotie looks like a fried pancake

Eat

It came out tasting a bit bitter, because of the rocket, I think. But it had a lovely cabbage taste. Nathan might have been really hungry because he ate most of it. I think I had only 3? So my comments arent properly validated. Stephen thought they were nice, and ate the rest of it with noodles. I think I should have let the filling marinate for a while.

Za Jiang Mien

1/2 onion, chopped
300g ground pork
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup water
4 portions of noodles
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 bowl grated carrot
1 bowl julliened zuchini
3 cloves garlic pounded in a pestle and mortar

1. Heat the oil and onions. Add the ground pork and keep stirring to break up the mince and cook till all the water evaporates. Cool outside to remove the pork smell.
2. Heat the pot and add oil. Heat miso paste till it becomes shiny. Add the cooked ground pork mixture. Mix. Add the soy sauce and water and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Prepare noodles according to instructions.
4. Serve the noodles with the pork mixture over it. Allow the diners to add the carrot, zucchini, garlic and coriander leaves as they like.
5. Mix the noodles and mixture just before eating.