Stir Fried Luffa with Eggs

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.

南瓜蒸排骨

记得当年在国内的时候,一说南瓜就是那种大大圆圆的,金黄外皮的南瓜,印象里只有那么一种。后来来了美国,才发现美国的大南瓜不好吃不说,人家根本就不是拿来吃的,是拿来万圣节玩的。

正经的南瓜不能吃,只好转而吃其他的品种。虽然中国人都称它们是南瓜,但是美国人不认,美国人管这些叫 ‘squash’。

材料:

南瓜,排骨,蛋清,淀粉,姜,小葱(可以不用),调味料。

过程:

1. 姜切片备用。

2. 排骨洗净,冷水下锅。水中加入姜片,料酒和白醋,中大火把水烧开。开锅之后关火焖 5 分钟,捞出来用温水冲洗干净。

3. 把排骨略微晾干,或者用纸巾抹干水分。拌入姜片,葱段和调味料,放入冰箱腌过夜。 如果不想等那么久,至少也要腌几个小时,不然排骨不够入味。

4. 南瓜切去顶部,把中间掏空。

我用的南瓜英文叫 ‘kabocha’,中国人都叫它日本南瓜。这种南瓜熟了之后很甜很面,什么都不放,简简单单蒸出来就很好吃。

                  

5. 腌好的排骨取出来,拌上一点蛋清,搅拌均匀之后再拌上一点淀粉。拌好之后填在南瓜里待用。

加蛋清是为了让淀粉更好的附着在排骨上面。加淀粉是为了让排骨更滑嫩。所以蛋清和淀粉可以不加,看个人口味。

6. 蒸锅烧开,把南瓜放入蒸锅蒸 50 – 60 分钟即可。

其实蒸南瓜不止局限于这种日本南瓜,还有一种橡子南瓜也很好吃,就是橡子南瓜比较小,放不下几块排骨。

我觉得应该不只是可以蒸排骨,我想过些日子试试蒸鸡块。

我的每一份菜谱都有中文和英文两个版本,查看英文版的南瓜蒸排骨,请点这里

Steamed Rib in (Kabocha) Squash

 The Squash I used is normally called ‘Japanese Squash’ at Asian Supermarket. It’s called Kabocha Squash offically. It tastes sweet, and is my favorite squash. 

Ingredients:

ribs, squash, egg white, corn starch, seasoning.

Methods:

1. Clean ribs with water, then put into a saucepan, add water to cover all the ribs, add some cooking wine, white vinegar, and a few slices of ginger root. Cook on medium high heat to boil. Turn off heat, then let it sit for about 5 minutes. 

When cooking meat and seafood, I love to use some ginger root. I think ginger works much better than lemon juice. 

2. Rinse ribs with warm water, then dry with paper towel. Add seasoning to ribs, set overnight in refrigerator or at least several hours. 

For seasoning, I normally use soybean sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, ginger root, green onion and black pepper.

                   

3. Clean the squash, chop the top off, take all the seeds out.

4. Mix seasoned ribs with a little bit egg white, mix well with corn starch then. Fill ribs into squash.

5. Steam the squash for about 50 – 60 minutes.

6. You can top with chopped green onion. Serve warm. 

You can use other kind but similar squash, like acorn squash. Of course, you can use other kind of meat, too. I’m thinking of trying chicken one day. I think it would be good, too. 

To view this recipe in Chinese, please click here