Chicken Feet and Beans Soup 凤爪(鸡脚)黄豆汤 (bone "healing" - Part 3)

I belong to the school that says "yes" to chicken feet. Braised chicken feet is one of my go-to order whenever visiting a dim-sum restaurant.


Apologies if this has given you a fright but it's Halloween :D  ...what's better to present real frightening food? I don't sugar-coat biscuits, cookies and cakes to Franken-fright anyway.

I never thought I would cook chicken feet at home (an ingredient that really needs time to cook down hardly fits my regular cooking-style) if not for my recent bone injury.


As a first attempt to cook chicken feet soup, it was surprisingly a breeze to success. Really, all you need is time and patience to cook down the chicken feet till tender. As chicken feet is mainly gelatin and connective tissues, it typically takes 3 hours or more to be cooked down in soups.

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Printables

Posted by Virgil Burks

I recently got satellite internet from www.satellitestarinternet.com/ and since then I have become obsessed with online printables.

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Spicy Bitter Melon with Tomatoes 印度式辣苦瓜番茄

Following the Spiced Roasted Bitter Melon comes this "dry-curry" bitter melon creation that is inspired by my friend's mom (who is Indian) - oh...I enjoy Indian dishes so much! So why not take the opportunity to learn the ropes? One fine day, I had the chance.

No substantial gravy intended

Oh, what curry is that? I better call it Spicy Bitter Melon with Tomatoes

Bitter melon cubes! Look at those fresh jade-green bitter melon.

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Peet's Coffee

This question about coffee or tea is often being asked. I don't drink tea regularly and not addicted to coffee definitely but I do need a cup of coffee in the morning to perk me up.

The Peet's Coffee, as part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, was delivered to me already pre-ground, so I could not revert to its coarse grind to be conveniently used in my French Press. To prevent the fine "powder" from passing through the sieve of the French Press, I tried to contain the ground coffee in a tea bag before pressing down the coffee.

Having coffee, black (without sugar), this light-medium roast of Cafe Domingo complemented well with the mild fruity sweetness of panettone. Yes. The season of panettone is here again - so indeed, the best time to enjoy coffee and panettone. It rhymes too.


*Peet's Coffee was received as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. Thank  you Foodbuzz and Peet's Coffee.

Home-Preserved Leaf Mustard with Tofu 自制雪菜之雪菜豆干

Remember the Asian Leaf Mustard that I use for stir-frying with noodles? Besides anti-cancer properties, this vegetable is power-packed with benefits - helps in detoxification, improves digestion, reduces excess phlegm in phlegmy coughs, etc. Hmmm...more Asian leaf mustard to come.

If you have ever tried Chinese Noodle Soup with Preserved Mustard Vegetables and Shredded Pork, or 雪菜肉丝面 in Chinese noodle eateries - this preserved mustard vegetable is in fact preserved Asian leaf mustard greens, otherwise known in Mandarin as 雪里红(Xue Li Hong) /雪菜(Xue Cai) - the preserved version of 芥菜(Jie Cai) or Gai Choy.


Now I have set myself TWO difficult challenges. First, to preserve my own leaf mustard. Second, to create a vegetarian dish out of my homemade preserved leaf mustard (it is definitely a relatively easier route (more common too!) to stir-fry the preserved leaf mustard with pork or chicken).

With vegetarian, I need to think further of creating flavors. So let's tackle the more difficult one first.


Preserving Asian Leaf Mustard
Preserving Asian leaf mustard is not difficult. You need salt, the key ingredient (leaf mustard) and a large Ziploc bag. Rinse the vegetable to remove the grits/sand. Break the vegetables at the joint to separate leafy portions and firm stems. Put them into the Ziploc bag. Add generous amounts of salt (Note: you will see the vegetables gradually wilting down when salt is added and this is what you want - the salt removes the moisture from the vegetables). Then seal the bag and roll/squeeze the bag real tight with the vegetables inside. This also removes water-moisture from the vegetables. Also try to remove air from the Ziploc bag by releasing the air once in a while while roll-squeezing. When done, seal up the bag of vegetables and leave in the fridge for at least 24 hrs. Before using, squeeze the vegetables to remove all the remaining moisture (best to remove as much moisture as possible). You will notice that in the salting process - the leaf mustard greens have turned from green to darker green.

"....salting, which draws out water (and bitterness) from the veggies and makes them sweeter (in theory), crunchier (for sure) and more tender (not a contradiction)..." - says Mark Bittman in a recent New York Times column.

The preserved greens are ready for Preserved Leaf Mustard Greens with Crisp Tofu Stir-Fry 清炒雪菜豆干

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Long Beans (Green Beans) Egg Fritters 豆角蛋

Long Bean Egg Fritters 豆角蛋 is one of my childhood favorites (side dishes) to eat with plain rice porridge. Even at a young age, plain rice porridge with side dishes has been my go-to comfort. Till now, I enjoy such a homey meal. The only flip side - to cook the entire meal by myself is sometimes a hassle as I have to cook 2-3 side dishes to go with plain rice porridge.


One easy side dish to whip up is definitely Long Bean Egg Fritters, or alternatively, Green Beans Egg Fritters (or Green Beans Open-Face Omelette.

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Steamed and Roasted Cabbage Two-Ways

Do food bloggers have bad days? YES YES YES. When a dish you made for the first time don't turn out as expected. When the day is dark and gloomy to take a decent photo (hey, I'm still using a point-and-shoot!, heavily depend on nature to help me).

Steamed Cabbage

For once, I am going to say - DON"T STEAM cabbage (steaming Napa cabbage is ok; but steaming cabbage does not work for me). The "grassy-chlorophyll" raw smell and taste is hard to rid of; and the sweetness of cabbage is not extracted to the fullest.

Thinly julienne cabbage to almost a slaw - steam or blanch till cabbage turns tender and are cooked through - drizzle miso + sesame oil + white pepper dressing over ==> Can't seem to get rid of the raw "grassy-chlorophyll" taste.

Stir-frying works better.

Hmmm....why. What does frying do? But coleslaw don't taste like that. Hmmm....


Roasted Cabbage

So....do food bloggers have good days?

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Singapore Streetdirectory

Being a user of Streetdirectory website in the past, I remember it as one of the early pioneers offering online version of the Singapore street directory.

It is good to know Streetdirectory constantly adapts to the dynamics of the information sharing landscape. Currently, mobile apps and Facebook page are available and I am glad to find Streetdirectory again as a "Facebook" friend.

Fishcake (Satsuma-age) Vegetables Noodle Stir-Fry

The only difference in this noodle from the other noodle or stir-fries done previously, lies in one ingredient. Fish cake! But it is not the fish cake (of filleted fish and potato patty) commonly seen in Western cuisine. Instead, this "cake" 鱼饼 （Yu Bing) comes as a variant made of surimi (a kind of fish puree) in some parts of Asia.


In Japan, the similar will be Kamaboko; in Taiwan, it wears another name 甜不辣 (almost translated from the word Tempura, where Tempura is also commonly used to refer to Satsuma Age-a fried fish cake which is made without batter); in Singapore, we simply call it 鱼饼 - fish cake with texture similar to 鱼丸 - fish balls.

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Oven-Cooked Sardines Tomatoes Pasta Sauce

Oops I did it again.

But this is about putting together something really quick and Omega-3-friendly! Without the stove. It's all about the oven.

This sardine-tomato sauce can be made (baked-to-cook) in the oven and transformed into a pasta sauce.


(1) Lay the bottom of the baking dish with fresh tomatoes (finely diced) or if you have ready (homemade) marinara sauce or tomato-based sauce, you can use that too!

(2) Generously sprinkle thinly sliced shallots, minced garlic, finely chopped cilantro over the sauce

(3) Layer sardines over, drizzle some olive oil

(4) Baked in 375F oven for about 10-15 minutes or more till shallots and garlic softened slightly. At the same time, cook the pasta

(5) When sauce is ready, you can mash the sardines up into the sauce or leave the sardines whole. Add in warm pasta and toss to combine thoroughly

Enjoy!


Currently, I think Amazon offers the best price for Crown Prince Natural OneWild Caught Brisling Sardines in Spring Water, 3.75-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12) with one 3.75 ounce tin at about $2.60. This is about 30% off from the price at regular store. Well, certainly a good deal if sardines is your pantry staple.

Tag: sardines pasta, sardines

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Four-Beans Pork Bone Broth 猪骨四豆汤 (bone "healing" part 2)

Ever since adapting to a mainly vegetable-seafood (and chicken) diet at home (I still eat pork and beef when I dine out), this is the FIRST time I open my kitchen to pork as I had to find alternatives when my nearest Whole Foods Market ran out of chicken backs!

Pork bones to the rescue!


Since it is mainly the marrow and minerals that was to be extracted from the bones, I was also generally more receptive to cooking this pork bone broth soup at home. It's just the bones, not much meat involved. Pig trotters is another option with its bounty of gelatin but once again - I can only do basic prep. work in the kitchen, so that option was out.

To make up for the protein and fiber, a variety of beans was used in this broth. This Four-Beans Pork Bone Broth Soup uses black-eyed beans, northern beans, peruano beans and soy beans (all the dried beans were soaked overnight, then rinsed before using). Also added were ginger and onions, some coarsely ground black pepper for taste.

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Spiced Roasted Bitter Melon (Bittergourd)

My latest write-up about bitter melon: Bitter Melon, What a Melon! is published on October 2011 issue of Basil Magazine. Go check it out.

Spiced Roasted Bitter Melon

In this same write-up in Basil Magazine is a tasty and easy Spiced Roasted Bitter Melon recipe that hopefully opens up a variety of bitter melon dishes you can try. Last week, bitter melon soup was featured, and now this, I'm trying to convert you....can't you see? :D  I will give myself five times (or more) to convert you. LOL


In this recipe, I have used the darker green bitter melon variety (photo below, front), narrower shape with pointed ends, and more spiny than the rounder-shaped bitter melon (photo below, back) that I usually cook with.

Front: Indian phenotype bitter melon; back: Chinese phenotype bitter melon

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Bitter Melon Egg Drop Soup 苦瓜蛋花汤

Check out my latest Basil Magazine write-up: Bitter Melon, What a Melon! in October 2011 issue.

Indeed, with Ayurvedic Insights, the Six Tastes of Life (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, astringent) offers another interesting perspective to see balance in food and health.

I often hear this from friends - "life is already bitter, why eat bitter food to make life more bitter?".

On the point of bitter - who likes bitter food? And what is your favorite bitter food?

Mine happens to be bitter melon! I love it.


Bitter food is good for us, and helps to speed up our metabolism. Green vegetables such as broccoli, and spinach can also be classified as bitter good. Well, broccoli and spinach do not taste bitter to me. Bitter melon might be the ultimate!

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Chicken Bone Broth (bone "healing" - Part 1)

I could not help but fall to the popular Chinese saying "以形补形" (Yi Xing Bu Xing) when I recently injured my elbow and suffered a fracture. Since the saying possibly means: to consume certain food that resembles certain body part/organ to "nourish" that specific part/organ of our own body - I wish I could gnaw at some bones so that I get my bones back...in shape! Now!

Bones, cartilage, collagen, ligaments, tendons - these are everything that is good for me right now; and with only one hand, the easiest dish I could cook and consume regularly is...

SOUP (the "put-everything-in-a-pot-and-let-magic-happens" all-in-one kind of meal)!

Or technically...BONE BROTH! Think chicken, pork, beef....

Let's start with chicken for today.

Luckily, chicken carcass (or backs) is already a regular ingredient I use in my daily cooking with dishes such as chicken porridge and chicken soup. That will be my easiest bet for bone broth as (1) it will have a high concentration of red marrow, not forgetting (2) all the minerals e.g. calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, collagen - easily absorbed nutrients that is good for bone healing/health including repair and strengthening of cartilage, tendons and connective tissue in the body.

Here are a few tips on Chicken Bone Broths:

Tip #1: Buy organic chicken carcass/backs that is free of antibiotics and hormones

Organic chicken backs are sometimes available in Whole Foods Market, Stevens Creek store. They are not expensive at $1.69/lb. Seriously, ever since my injury, I have been cooking (eating/drinking) chicken porridge and soup for at least once a week. How I wish Whole Foods Market save the organic chicken backs for me! Truth is, in the last two trips there, they ran out of organic chicken backs! There goes my easy route for bone broth!

Tip #2: Your butcher is your friend
Request the butcher to chop (and break up) the chicken backs into small pieces - the smaller the better so that the marrow and minerals essentially "leech" out faster into the broth. The kind folks (except for one who was not that helpful) at Whole Foods Market, Stevens Creek Store were always willing to do the work for me. Thank you!

Tip #3: Cook the broth/soup

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Leaf Mustard 芥菜

I am not sure if leaf mustard and mustard greens refer to the same vegetable. Even with a commonality word "mustard" - their appearance? Different. Maybe they belong to the same "mustard" or Brassica Juncea family, or more widely, the Brassicaceae (crucifers) family.

This is Leaf Mustard, sometimes known as Gai Choy in Cantonese, and in Mandarin - 芥菜 (Jie Cai).


Leaf mustard is an excellent source of Vitamins (A, B-group, C and K); and has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties to help fight fatigue and boost energy. As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, leaf mustard also offers similar anti-cancer benefits as in broccoli, collards and cabbage.

In Korea, leaf mustard is often made into leaf mustard kimchi; while in some regions of China, leaf mustard is mostly commonly pickled. In California, the most common interpretation of leaf mustard in Chinese eateries/restaurants.is a stir-fry but usually this dish is so so greasy.

Having that signature astringent taste, I am not sure if you will like leaf mustard but I do!

Sharing Leaf Mustard with Weekend Herb Blogging #304 hosted by Chris from Mele Cotte.


Tag: mustard, mustard greens, leaf mustard

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DealFun - Bid to Win

Does paying up to 75% to 95% off retail price of brand new electronic products such as iPad, iPhone or Kindle sound like a great attractive deal? New auction site dealfun.com is one exciting new type of auction that allows you to buy branded items such as electronic products (including laptops, LED TVs, PS3), watches, jewelry and even toys with up to 95% discount! Just take a look at the deal wall -
a purse holder worth $15 sold for less than a dime - that's a steal! And a LG Blu-Ray DVD sold for less than $50! I cannot believe it.

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Jicama Stir-Fry 清炒豆薯

This stir-fry is adapted from thePopiah filling recipe, and I'm attempting to eat it differently as well  using a different "skin" or wrap.


There are many names of jicama including Chinese turnip, sometimes known as Muang Guang (Hokkien dialect) in Singapore/Malaysia. In Mandarin, we call it 豆薯, Dou Shu.

Jicama Stir-Fry 清炒豆薯
Ingredients: 1tsp dried shrimps (Japanese type ebi); 2 green onions finely chopped, separate white and green parts; 1/2 jicama, peeled and cut into strips; 5-6 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced; 1 medium carrot; thinly sliced; sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Heat some oil in the pan, toast the dried shrimps in the pan, then add the white parts of the green onions and fry briskly. Add the carrots and fry for about 2 minutes till carrots softened a little. Add the cabbage an jicama, then fry to mix thoroughly. Add 3-4 tbsp of water, cover the pan and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes till all the vegetables are cooked. When all the veggies turn tender, add the green parts of the green onions, pinch of salt and white pepper to taste. Dish out and serve.


Woo hooo....I'm using endive as the wrap for the jicama stir-fry. Light and refreshing.



Sharing Jicama with Weekend Herb Blogging #304 hosted by Chris from Mele Cotte.

Tag: jicama stir fry, jicama

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Noodles with Jalapeno, Fried Shallots, Green Onions

Another noodle stir-fry that is no big deal in terms of technique. But a combination of intense and robust garnishes (toppings, rather) flavoring up this very basic cabbage and carrot noodle-stir-fry to the next level.

It includes - a generous scatter of green onions, fried shallots and jalapeno!


Oh, the irregular chunks of meat are leftover fried chicken that has been shredded.

Errr.....fried chicken ...?!?!

GUILTY.

Sharing this with Presto Pasta Nights hosted by creator of the same event, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast. Also sharing with Hearth and Soul.

Tag: fried shallots, stir fry, noodles

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Smoke Fire Damage and Restoration

The damage to a property due to smoke fire can be devastating and cleaning the aftermath of a house smoke fire can be dangerous. It is best to leave this task to a professional cleaning team of expert technicians sensitive to minimize smoke fire damage and recover the property as much as possible.

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