Category Archives: Vegetable

Spicy and Sour Shredded Potato

By | | Vegetable
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Back a while ago, I went to a Chinese Restaurant with some American colleagues. The restaurant serves ‘spicy and sour shredded potato’. This is a very popular dish in China, but my American colleagues said they never heard this or had before. I hope this recipe can help anybody who likes spicy dishes.

Ingredients:

potatoes, green and red cayenne peppers, white vinegar, seasoning to taste.

Methods:

1. Clean potatoes and peppers, peel potatoes then shred. Rinse with water, drain well.

2. Chop peppers into the proper size to match potatoes.

Pepper seeds are much more spicy than pepper. So you can control the spicy level some by how many pepper seeds you keep in your cooking.

3. Heat up the skillet with medium high heat, add cooking oil, then add shredded potato into skillet, stir quickly for a few second to let oil evenly coated on shredded potatoes.

4. Add white vinegar into skillet, stir quickly for a few minutes.

5. Add chopped peppers into skillet, stir until pepper get tender.

6. Add seasoning to your taste. Stir quickly. You can add a little bit water to help seasoning melt and mix quicker.

For seasoning, I normally use salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar.

7. When potato is fully cooked, it’s ready to serve.

Stir Fried Luffa with Eggs

By | | Egg, Vegetable
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Luffa is one of my favorites, so I plant Luffa in the garden every year. Fresh vegetables always taste better.

Ingredients:

Luffa, eggs, black fungus, seasoning.

Method:

1. Soak black fungus in water, wait until it gets tender and spread out, rinse with water, drain well.

black fungus is not necessary, I just wanted to add some color to the dish. I wanted to add something red to begin with, but I didn’t have any at home, so I decided to use black fungus.

                    

2. Boil some water in a sauce pan, add a little bit salt, vinegar and cooking oil. Keep water boiling.

3. Peel Luffa, then chop into chunk, put luffa chunk into boiling water. Bring water to boiling again, then take Luffa out, put into a strainer, rinse with cold water. Drain well.

Some people say that you don’t have to get rid of all the green, but I prefer peel all of them off, just leave the white. If Luffa is some old, you can chop the seeds off.

3. Heat up a skillet on high heat, add some cooking oil. Beat eggs well, then pour into skillet. Stir constantly to cook eggs into chunk pieces, then get them out of skillet.

4. Adjust heat to medium high heat, add more cooking oil, cook black fungus for several minutes, then add Luffa into skillet, stir constantly.

5. Add eggs back into skillet, keep stirring, add seasoning, mix well.

                   

I’d like to keep its original color when cooking light color vegetables, so I normally don’t use soybean sauce.

I used white pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder, salt and sugar.

6. Mix a little bit corn starch with cold water, pour into skillet, stir quick until juice in skillet get thicker.

7. Add several drop of sesame oil, stir well. Serve when hot.

To view this recipe in Chinese, please click here.

Stir Fried Eggplant with Potato and Onion

By | | Vegetable
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This dish came from my hometown which located at northeast China. It was originally cooked with bell pepper. But I don’t like bell pepper, so I swapped it with some onion.

I did modified the way to fry the eggplant. Eggplant supposed to be fried naked, but I coated then fried.

Ingredients:

eggplant, potato, onion, egg, flour, garlic, corn startch, seasoning

Method:

1. Chop everything into chunks.

2. Heat up deep fryer with enough oil to fry potato and eggplant.

3. Rinse potato with tab water, then drain well.

4. Deep fry potato until lightly brown, set aside.

5. Crack eggs, beat well, then coat eggplant with it. Sprinkle eggplant with flour, make sure all the eggplant are coated with flour.

               

6. Deep fry eggplant until lightly brown, set aside.

7. Heat up skillet (wok), add some cooking oil. Cook onion for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

               

8. Add potato and eggplant into skillet, keep stirring until well mixed.

9. Chop garlic into small pieces, sprinkle on top, mix seasoning together with some corn startch and cold water, then pour over in skillet.

For seasoning, I used salt, sugar, soybean sauce, vinegar, sesame oil.

I love to use garlic and sesame oil when cooking eggplant.

10. Keep stirring until the seasoning mixture get thick, and all the pieces are coated.

11. Serve warm.

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.

 

 

Stir Fried Napa with Shrimp and Black Fungus

By | | Vegetable
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Napa cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables. I guess it’s because I grew up with it.

When I was little, there were not too many fresh vegetables available in winter time. I think what we had was napa cabbage, carrot, and tunip. So we had to eat napa all winter.

Ingredients:

napa cabbage, shrimp, black fungus, onion, seasoning.

I left onion out when I took the picture.

Methods:

1. Soak black fungus in cold water for about 1 hour. Then clean real good, raise with water, drain well.

2.  Chop/slice napa into pieces, seperate leaves and the white leaf veins.

You can chop/slice napa any way you like.

3. Chop onion into pieces, peel shrimp.

4. Heat up the skillet on medium high heat, add cooking oil. Add chopped onion into skillet, cook for several minutes until it gets a little bit tender.

5. Add black fungus and white napa leaf veins into skillet, cook for several minutes.

6. Add napa leaves into skillet, cook for several minutes until leaves start getting tender.

                    

7. Add shrimp into skillet, cook until shrimp start turning into pink color.

8. Add seasoning into skillet, quickly stir it until all the seasoning is evenly spreaded.

For seasoning, I used venigar, salt, little bit sugar.

If you think this dish is too dry, you can add some water & corn startch mixture into the skillet at last minute, stir evernly, then you should have some sauce.

To view this recipe in Chinese, please click here.

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean

By | | Meat, Noodle, Vegetable
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Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean

 

This is one of my most favorite way to cook noodle. It tastes a lot better than regular stir fried noodle.

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green BeanIngredients:

fresh noodle, green bean, ribs, ginger root, seasoning (salt, sugar, cooking wine, vinegar, soybean sauce).

Methods:

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green BeanSteamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean1. Slice ginger root, take 4 slices, put into cold water in wok, add some cooking wine into water.

2. Chop ribs into small pieces, then put into cold water, set wok on high heat, bring to boil, then simmer for several minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green BeanI had the butcher sliced ribs short when I bought it.

3. Add water into wok, just enough to cover ribs, add cooking wine, vinegar and a little bit sugar, then add ribs back into wok, high heat to boil, simmer for about 30 minutes or until ribs are done.

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean4. Meantime, tear the edge off green bean, then tear into shorter pieces, wash with water, drain.

5. Add green bean into wok when ribs are done, add salt, soybean sauce, simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until green bean start getting soft.

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean6. Spread noodle over rib and green bean, cover with lid, simmer for about 20 minutes.

7. Turn heat off, mix noodle with rib and green bean, so noodle will be coated with leftover juice in wok.

 

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean

Steamed Noodle with Rib and Green Bean

 

Stir Fried Napa with Meatball and Woodear

By | | Vegetable
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Stir Fried Napa with Meatball and Woodear

Stir fried napa is one of my favorite dish, it’s quick and easy, and it tastes good. The change on this dish is other ingredients cooking with napa.

Stir Fried Napa with Meatball and WoodearIngredients:

napa, woodear, onion, meatball, seasoning

Methods:

Stir Fried Napa with Meatball and Woodear1. Soak woodears in cold water, then clean them up, tear big pieces into small pieces (about same size as napa and onion).

2. Chop napa and onion into pieces, chop meatball into half.

I prefer chop napa leaves and napa white separately. You can click the link to see details on chopping napa cabbage: How to Chop Napa Cabbage.

3. Heat up skillet, add cooking oil, saute onion on medium heat until tender.

Stir Fried Napa with Meatball and Woodear4. Add meatball into skillet, saute for several minutes, then add white parts of napa and woodear.

5. Saute napa white until tender, then add napa leaves, saute until leaves get tender.

6. Add seasoning, stir well, then serve.

I normally would use more vinegar when stir fry napa.

 

Stir Fried Napa with Meatball and Woodear

 

Stir Fried Luffa with Garlic

By | | Vegetable
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Stir Fried Luffa with Garlic

 

Luffa is one of my favorite kind vegetable. It’s easy and quick to cook it.

Stir Fried Luffa with GarlicIngredients:

luffa, garlic, seasoning to taste

Method:

1. Peel and chop luffa into chunk shape.

Stir Fried Luffa with Garlic2. Mince garlic.

If you don’t want to mince garlic, you can mash it first then chop it really fine.

3. Heat up skillet, add cooking oil, add garlic into skillet, cook on medium heat until you can smell cooked garlic.

4. Add luffa into skillet, cook until luffa get tender, add seasoning, stir and mix well.

5. Serve when hot.

 

Stir Fried Luffa with Garlic

 

 

Eggplant Casserole with Bacon and Onion

By | | Vegetable
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Eggplant Casserole with Bacon and Onion

 

If you like eggplant, you’d like this casserole.

Eggplant Casserole with Bacon and OnionIngredients:

1 pound eggplants, 1/2 cup bacon crumb, 1/2 large onion (diced), 1/2 cup bread crumb, 2 large eggs, salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Eggplant Casserole with Bacon and OnionEggplant Casserole with Bacon and Onion1. Cut eggplant into cubes, then boil in a pot with salted water, simmer until eggplant get tender, drain well and set aside.

2. Heat up skillet, add cooking oil, saute onion until tender, then add bacon crumb, stir fry for several minutes, set aside to let it cool.

Eggplant Casserole with Bacon and Onion3. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

4. Mix eggplant and onion, bacon together, then mix egg into mixture, then add seasoning to taste, mix bread crumb into mixture.

5. Scoop the mixture into baking dish, bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

I used individual baking dish, baked about 25 minutes.

Eggplant Casserole with Bacon and Onion

 

Stir Fried Asparagus with Shrimp and Onion

By | | Seafood, Vegetable
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Stir Fried Asparagus with Shrimp and Onion

 

I love asparagus, especially stir fried asparagus.

Stir Fried Asparagus with Shrimp and OnionIngredients:

asparagus, shrimp, onion, seasoning.

Method:

Stir Fried Asparagus with Shrimp and Onion1. Clean shrimp, make sure the black vein is removed.

2. Chop onion into chunk, and chop asparagus into short strip.

3. Heat up skillet, add cooking oil, cook onion until tender on medium high heat.

Stir Fried Asparagus with Shrimp and Onion4. Add shrimp and onion into skillet, stir until shrimp change color.

5. Add seasoning to your taste.

I don’t like heavy seasoning, so I just used salt and a pinch sugar.

6. Transfer to plate, serve when hot.

 

Stir Fried Asparagus with Shrimp and Onion