Author Archives: MamaLee

Tea Egg

By | | Egg, Snack
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Tea Egg

I’m not sure why this is called ‘tea egg’, I’d love to call it ‘tea flavored egg’.

This is one of the traditional snack in China. It reminds me of my college life everytime I see it. It was very popular being the before-bedtime-snack back then, I think there was more than 20 tea egg booth around the campus at that time.

Ingredients:

eggs, black tea, seasoning.

Method:

1.Lay eggs in pot, covered with cold water, add some salt into water, bring to boil on medium high heat. Then turn heat off, let eggs sit in pot to keep cooking.

salty water can prevent cracked eggs to spill out when cooking.

2.Meantime, add cold water into another pot, and add seasoning to it, bring to boil on high heat.

For seasoning, I used black tea, cinnamon stick, star anise, zanthoxylum, soybean sauce, salt and sugar. You can add more seasoning as your taste, such as orange peel, bay leaves, etc.

I put the dry seasoning into a tea bag, so they won’t get loose in pot. And I don’t like the strong taste of them, so I took the bag out of pot 10 minutes after I turn off the heat.

3.Crack egg shells with back of a spoon without taking them out. Or you can take them out of water, do it the way you like.

4.Transfer all the cracked eggs into the seasoning pot. Bring to boil again on high heat, then turn heat off. Let eggs sit in pot until it cool off.

Some people like to stick holes on eggs so the flavor can get to the inside of eggs.

5. Take eggs out of pot, peel. Then eggs are ready to serve.

You can serve them hot or cold. They taste good either way.

Picture below shows a darker color egg and a lighter color egg. The lighter color egg was taken out right after turning off the heat, the darker color egg was taken out after soaking in pot for several hours. Of course the darker color egg has a stronger flavor.

Star Anise

By | | Ingredient
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Star Anise

Star Anise is one of the popular spice when doing braise. At lease I hardly use it for something else.

It has a strong flavor, so I normally would let it stay in pot for about 15-20 minutes, then I would take it out and throw away.

I don’t really know much about it. luckily, we have wiki, HA!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illicium_verum

For dishes using Star Anise, please clikc on following link:

Tea Egg

Zanthoxylum = Pepper?

By | | Ingredient
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Zanthoxylum
Zanthoxylum

This is what I called ‘Chinese Pepper’. Today, I looked up online, and found out that its offical name is Zanthoxylum.

It is a very popular seasoning in Si-Chuan dish or Hunan Dish, anything hot and spicy. It is the spicy!

This is one of my favorite seasoning when it comes to slow cooking or braise. But since it has a very strong flavor, so I won’t let it stay in pot for a long time.

Zanthoxylum
Zanthoxylum on Plant

I happen to have a Zanthoxylum plant, so you can see what it looks like when it’s still fresh.

Here is the wiki link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanthoxylum

For dishes using zanthoxylum, please click on following link:

Tea Egg

油煎年糕

By | | 年糕
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油煎年糕

 

因为当初教我做这个年糕的人是福建人，所以我一直叫它福建年糕。当年刚刚出国，第一次参加中国人的聚会，一位来自福建的夫妻带了年糕过去，现炸现吃，把我们都惊艳坏了，于是问明了做法，回家山寨。这一做就是20多年，一直也没有吃腻。

材料：

糯米粉，粘米粉，白糖

做法：

1. 糯米粉和粘米粉用 3:1 的比例混合，然后按自己的口味加入白糖，拌匀。

2. 加入冷水搅拌均匀。

冷水可以慢慢加，边搅拌边加入，等所有的面粉都浸到水即可。面粉不会成团。

3. 找一个合适的用来蒸湿面的容器，把拌匀的面糊倒入。

4. 开水上屉，把面糊蒸熟。

我一般一次用一袋糯米粉，大概要蒸将近一个小时。

5. 蒸好的年糕放入冷冻箱冻透冻硬，然后拿出来，切成大概一公分厚的片。

                   

6. 平底锅倒油烧热，中火。

7. 把切好的年糕片放进去煎至两面金黄即可。

年糕遇热会变得粘糯，所以放进锅的时候要注意不要粘连。

8. 煎好的年糕趁热吃最好，外酥里糯，好吃的不得了。

 

 

Sweet Rice Cake

By | | Other
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This is the one of the tradition food for Chinese New Year. Of course you can make it any time you want to.

I learned this from a friend who came from Fujian Providence, so I call it ‘Fujian Rice Cake’ sometimes.

Ingredients:

rice flour, sweet rice flour, sugar.

Methods:

1. Mix rice flour and sweet rice flour as 1:3.

The one in red print is rice flour, and the one in green is sweet rice flour.

2. Add sugar to your taste.

3. Add water, slowly, stir as you add water. Just add enough to wet the flour.

It’s not going to be a dough, it’s going to be smooth batter.

4. Pour the mixture into a steamable container.

I used a glass lunch box.

5. Steam for about 30 minutes. Let it sit until it’s cool, then freeze to colder.

6. Slice rice cake into 1/4 inch slice.

7. Heat up the skillet on medium heat, add oil.

To fry rice cake, you’ll need more oil. Of course, you can always add more if you need to.

8. Lay rice cake slices into skillet, set them apart.

Slices will be very sticky when they get hot.

9. Flip when bottom turn golden brown.

10. They are ready to serve when both sides turn golden brown.

11. Serve hot.

 

午餐肉炒菜椒

By | | 肉类, 蔬菜
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午餐肉是我最近的懒人菜。因为午餐肉切起来比较容易，而且也节省时间。

材料：

菜椒，午餐肉，洋葱

调味料：蒜，醋，酱油，盐，糖，淀粉，蚝油，香油

步骤：

1. 蒜切末，午餐肉，洋葱，菜椒切条。

2. 一勺淀粉加少许凉水混匀，加入蚝油，醋和酱油，拌匀。

3. 炒锅倒油烧热，中大火，把午餐肉，洋葱，菜椒倒入锅煸炒到菜椒略微变软。

4. 把切好的蒜末倒进锅，炒出蒜香，然后加入盐和一点点糖，炒匀。

5. 把淀粉糊搅拌均匀，倒进锅，快速煸炒，直到淀粉糊成熟变成浓稠的酱汁。

6. 滴几滴香油进锅，炒匀即可。

 

 

 

 

Stir Fry Bell Pepper with Onion and Spam

By | | Meat, Vegetable
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My mon has problem biting regular meat, so I tried to cook processed meat instead of regular meat for her. Spam is one of the kind I use often.

Ingredients:

bell pepper, onion, spam

seasoning: garlic, corn starch, vinegar, soybean sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar.

Methods:

1. Chop bell pepper, onion and spam into sticks.

2. Chop garlic into small pieces.

3. Mix one teaspoon corn starch with little bit cold water, add vinegar and soybean sauce into mixture.

4. Heat up skillet on medium high heat, add oil. Add bell pepper, onion and spam into skillet, stir constantly.

5. When bell pepper and onion get little tender, add garlic into skillet.

6. When you can smell garlic is cooking, pour corn starch mixture into skillet, stir quickly.

7. Add several drops of sesame oil, stir well.

 

 

山寨椒盐饼

By | | 饼
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可能是在山东长大的缘故，我对面食有着无法克服的偏爱。我可以一个月不吃米饭，但是无法忍受一个星期吃不到面食。不过，很多时候我还是很懒于和面，所以这种生墨西哥饼就成为我的最爱之一。

材料：

生墨西哥饼，面粉，油，盐，五香粉。

如果不喜欢那种沙沙的感觉，可以不用面粉，直接用盐和五香粉调味。

做法：

1. 面粉，盐，五香粉加油一起，搅拌成浓稠的糊状。

         

2. 取一张饼，上面刷一层椒盐糊，然后折成任意形状。我折成了方形。

                   

3. 平底锅倒油，中小火烧热，把饼放进去烙到底部金黄，翻面，烙到两面都变成金黄即可。

因为只有四层，所以吃不到太多的层次感，但是椒盐味还是很足的。

Tortilla with Seasoning

By | | Tortilla
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I’m not a tortilla person, but I do love those ‘uncooked tortilla’. It’s so easy and convienent to cook, and it tastes different from the cooked ones.

Ingredients:

uncooked tortilla, cooking oil, flour, seasoning.

Methods:

1. Pour some flour into a bowl, add salt, pepper into it, then pour some cooking oil into the bowl, mix well. Mixture can be little thinner than peanut butter.

You can use any seasoning as you like. Salt and pepper is what I use regularly.

          

2. Use a spoon, scoop some four mixture on top of the tortilla, spread, then fold as you like.

            

3. Heat a frying pan on medium low heat, add a little bit cooking oil, fry tortilla until golden brown on one side, flip, cook until it’s golden brown on another side.

You don’t have to use cooking oil to cook tortilla. But it sure tastes much better when cooking with oil.

 

虾仁木耳炒白菜

By | | 蔬菜
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人的口味真的是不时就变一变。年轻的时候，我对白菜真是说不上多喜欢，想来是小时候吃的太多的缘故吧。出国之后吃的少了，倒慢慢又变得喜欢起来了。

材料：

白菜，木耳，虾，洋葱，调味料。

做法：

1. 木耳泡发，摘洗干净，沥干水分。

2. 白菜帮叶分开，切片。

3. 虾剥去皮，洗净，沥干水分。

4. 洋葱切块。

5. 炒锅倒油烧热，中大火，倒入洋葱略炒，炒至洋葱层层散开，略微变软。

6. 把木耳和白菜帮倒进锅略炒几分钟，然后倒入白菜叶炒软。

   

7. 把虾仁倒进锅炒至虾仁变色。

8. 加入调味料，炒匀，即可出锅。

调味料我用了醋，盐，一点点糖。

炒白菜我喜欢多用醋，炒出来的白菜略酸，但是很好吃。

查看本菜谱的英文版，请点这里。