Stir fry long beans with Korean dried shrimps

What a long hiatus from Weekend Herb Blogging - WHB. And just when I returned to participate this week, I'm glad to find the host back at Kalyn's Kitchen - yes, Kalyn - the wonderful host who started the blogging trail to herbs, plants, vegetables and flowers.

Since it's a loo....ong loo....ong hiatus from WHB, I will dedicate a short write up for...loo....ong beans. LONG BEANS.


In a dazed and "hazed" state, I will usually mix them up - Long beans and green beans. As I was writing this, I realized I made some mistakes about long beans and green beans in some of my older posts. :O I used them too interchangeably though they are quite different pods plants in their own entities.

But first, let's set the stage for some simple facts.
What are long beans ? Long beans are also known as Yard long beans or snake bean, or Chinese long bean. They can be used in cooked salads like this - Indonesian Gado Gado or in simple Chinese stir fry (sometimes with sambal belacan) like this, and can be used in curries too. If you find them named other than yardlong beans or snake beans, they may be masked in these other names in different parts of Asia. Long beans are a good source of protein, vitamin A and C, and minerals. On a lighter non-edible note about long beans - they are often associated as THE "miracle" vegetable that will make your child or kid grow TALLER AND TALLER, just because it's LONG. When a child or teenager exceeds the medium or average percentile in HEIGHT (i.e very TALL), it's common to hear..."DID SHE/HE EAT LONG BEANS?"

Green beans are also known as French beans, or string beans. I have used them too, here, here and here, but I used the words "long beans" in universal mode!!! :O ...oops, my ignorance, and mistake. I will be more careful next time.

Are there any other exotic names of long beans and green beans that are used, in where you are staying or located ?

Here's a long beans cooking experiment with a new ingredient- Korean dried shrimps I bought recently.

Why did I say they taste different?

Cos' when I stir fry them like in a chinese stir fry vegetable dish, the dish came out completely different. Not sure how to describe the exact differences though both types of dried shrimps - korean or chinese, are able to flavor up this simple stir fry.

Stir fry long beans with Korean dried shrimps

I'm not publishing the detailed recipe. Ingredients used are long beans, Korean dried shrimps, mushroom, some sambal belacan

Tag: sambal belacan, korean dried shrimps, vegetables, sambal chilli

Curried Potato and Mushrooms + attempt to grow Curry Leaves failed!

Remember my last Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) entry on Curry Leave, Curry Love? On the note that

(1) "... ... the FLAVOR of FRESH curry LEAVES is SUPERIOR and IRREPLACEABLE";
(2) neither dirt cheap nor easily available in the Bay Area, CA

we decided to try growing them in Singapore - to get the technique right at least (assuming growing conditions in Singapore are conducive?) so that we may have chance to grow them back in our backyard *day dream* back in CA and I can use the leaves FRESH and CHEAP in my cooking, whenever I need *day dream*. Allow me to day dream, pls.



In this week's WHB with Laurie from Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska, let me share some experience in growing curry leaves. They might not have been successful but sharing failure lessons can help people out there avoid the same mistakes. At the same time, successful growers may like to offer some tips.

My parents have a curry leaf plant rooted to the garden's ground. We plucked a few fresh curry leaf stems and hope to use those stems to root.

1st try: We removed all the leaves from the stem before planting them in the pot(see potted plant above) + occasional watering + sunlight conditions.
Result: Failed. No growth or even sign of life observed after 1 month.

2nd try: We removed most of the lower leaves and planted them in a pot + occasional watering + sunlight conditions.
Result: Still failed. No growth observed.

WHAT DID I DO WRONG? Any tips out there?

Meanwhile, I will have better luck as a user of curry leaves - in this simple Indian-spiced Potato and Mushroom concoction.


Curried Potato and Mushrooms
Ingredients: potato, peeled and diced, mushrooms, diced; some butter, 3 to 4 curry leaves, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, garlic and onion

Directions: Melt the butter in a heated pan, saute the onions, garlic and curry leaves till fragrant. Then add mushrooms and potatoes and sprinkle in the spices (turmeric and cumin), mix well. Fry till potatoes and mushrooms are cooked (mushrooms become tender).


For similar recipes, you can also try this chick pea dish.

Tag: indian food, potato, curry leaf

Broccolini with Streaky Oyster Sauce, Golden Shallots- simplicity rules!

One vegetable is a welcoming addition to the ever growing options in the produce aisle; and the other herb is what Australians sometimes refer to as green onions - when to some of us, it's not.

I can't pimp enough of broccolini! I can't get enough of shallots !

I can't keep the secret...it's my first time trying broccolini! :O And there should be no secret that Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) is at #104 and 2 years old.
I can't thank enough...to the wonderful host, Kalyn, at Kalyn's Kitchen. For doubly delish WHB, going by "simplicity rules" with Broccolini with Streaky Oyster Sauce and Golden Shallots.



Broccolini is a hybrid - NOT a genetically modified organism but a natural hybrid. This bright green vegetable has long, slender stalks - of Kai Lan, Chinese kale + a bouquet of tiny buds - of a miniature broccoli head. A surprisingly tender and sweet cross between broccoli and Chinese kale (also known as Gai Lan, Kai Lan or Chinese chard). The unique vegetable resembles broccoli or asparagus in physical appearance, with long stalks topped by delicate buds. Broccolini, known as asparation in Europe and as baby broccoli in the United States.


Dripping flavors

Broccolini took off in gourmet cuisine in the 1990s and became widespread in supermarkets shortly thereafter. When cooking broccolini, less is more and going back to basics is the best.

Broccolini with Streaky Oyster Sauce and Golden Shallots
Ingredients: Broccolini, oyster sauce, shallots sliced thinly
Directions: Slice shallots thinly and fry till golden brown, resulting in tiny crispy shallots, picture below (Note: do not over-fry them as when "burnt", they are as bitter-tasting as "burnt" garlic). Blanch broccolini in boiling water, or steam them till tender, then drizzle with oyster sauce and sprinkle with fried shallots.

Of course, I wish to tell you more about shallots and how they are used as part of recipe, condiment, and garnish in Asian cuisine. Fried shallots also enhance the flavor of many Indonesian dishes such as opor ayam (chicken curry) and Indonesian-style fried rice variants.

Unlike onions where each plant normally forms a single bulb, shallots form clusters of offsets just like garlic. Shallots have a mild taste that combines the flavor of a sweet onion with a hint of garlic.

The result? A subtle sweet, tender slightly crunchy green vegetable with edible flowering buds and slim stems.

No fancy culinary footwork. Broccolini with Streaky Oyster Sauce and Golden Shallots is THE chinese gourmet style vegetables that you will love. :D

Tag: broccolini , broccoli, Kai Lan, vegetables,shallots, fried shallots

Black pepper basil beef - Lemony, peppery, vanilla and a symbol of love

I do not blog about herbs as often as plants and vegetables in WHB. This time, I'm going for
herbs in Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) is at #107 at Kalyn's Kitchen. A common herb , fresh or dried, found in our kitchens - BASIL. There is already an abundance of knowledge and facts shared about basil, so how about some myths and folklore?

There are some ancient herbalists claimed that basil damaged the internal organs and the eyes while others argued that basil was good both as a condiment and for a variety of medical purposes. including relieving flatulence. These are just two opposing school of thoughts argued in herbal medicine through the years. Oh...most of us love basil, isn't it? We aren't going to believe anything with no scientific hardcore evidence. We will continue to like basil and use them appropriately in our dishes.


In folklore as in medicine, basil also has a reputation for both evil and good. Evil as in associated with the legendary reptile known as basilisk, whose breath and glance could kill. Good, as a symbol of love, cherished as a protection against witchcraft.


Black Pepper Basil Beef
Ingredients:
-Beef sirloin (slice and fillet against the grain)
-Handful of fresh basil
-Black pepper

Marinate:
-2tsp oyster sauce
-1tsp dark soy
-1tsp sesame oil
-1tbsp black pepper
-cornflour
-egg

Directions:
1. Marinate beef slices for at least 2hrs in the fridge.
2. Heat pan with oil at low-medium heat. Add in marinated beef and stir fry beef slices over medium-high heat till athey start to turn color
3. Add basil leaves to beef and complete cooking about 2mins
4. Dish up and serve immediately

In cooked recipes it is generally added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the meal. In other food cultures such as in Taiwan, fresh basil leaves are added into thick soups (羹湯, pronounced geng tang). They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves.

The Thais also use basil in stir-fries eg. in a dish like Kai Pad Bai Kaprow- Thai Basil chicken.


What are the basil flavors in this? Lemony...peppery...vanilla

Good basil flavor and fragrance, well-balanced with the black pepper marinated beef.
It's so yummy! You must try this. You don't have to get your ingredients from any specialty store.

Tag: basil beef, basil, beef

Hijiki Seaweed, Nori, Wakame - Healthful!

WHAaat? I made it to Foodbuzz Top 9, November 17, 2010! Rather, my Parchment-Baked Superfruity Chicken Wings "flew" right there. Thanks, Foodbuzz. :)

Have you caught the festive joyous mood yet? I have started "kitchen shopping". Just ordered the Pizza Cutter - one of Alton Brown's fav. gadgets from Amazon!

So, here is the deal: Enjoy the Black Friday Event (22-27 Nov) with savings up to 50% on a wide selection of products for the home from kitchen knives to appliances. THEN, also the Cyber Monday Event (28-29 Nov) with savings up to 50% on products including kitchen appliances. It's online shopping. No 4am-queuing at the departmental stores or gate crashing. Get your deals at the comfort of your home, in your PJs. Ha!

I digress.

Wanted to tell you how it started with Wakame, then Nori and now Hijiki. All the seaweeds! Counting to that, I have tried three different seaweeds altogether. Not much, considering it is super-nutrition food! I should eat more. Specifically, Hijiki contains dietary fiber and minerals such as iron, calcium, and magnesium (with a good calcium and magnesium balance, ratio of Ca:Mg ~ 2:1). Do you know Magnesium helps our body absorb and retain Calcium? Now you know.

Which is the type of seaweed, most often appearing in your kitchen and why did you choose that?

My recent encounter with Hijiki was kinda noob. Walking the aisle of the Japanese grocery store, with so many different seaweed(s) appearing right in front of me. The shiny. The long and curvy. The black and mysterious. Finally, I picked one which read a relatively higher iron content. The point goes - for the same kind of food, why not choose the most nutrient-dense?  So I picked Hijiki with the slightest idea what I wanted to do with it. But all these Japanese dishes came to me, and of course the first being...MISO SOUP! Well, I don't think Hijiki is traditionally used for miso soup but What The H***! Buy first! We'll talk about that later.

Kind of wormy looking right? Crunchy texture. Oh no, suitable for soup?

Hijiki, after rehydrating in cold water for 15-20 mins. 

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Bean Sprouts with Green Onions 青葱炒豆芽

Grains (e.g. wheat, barley), seeds (e.g. alfalfa seeds, coriander seeds, quinoa), legumes (e.g. mung bean, peas) can all be sprouted for maximizing nutrition. Sprouted food acquires improved digestibility and nutritional qualities when compared to non-sprouted version from which it derives.


For example, when mung beans are sprouted, its Vitamin A content increases 285%, Thiamine (Vitamin B1) content increases 208 per cent, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) content increases 515 per cent, Niacin (Vitamin B3) content increases 256 per cent (Source: Sproutnet.com)

I am not really a huge fan of raw mung bean sprouts but Lightly Sauteed Bean Sprouts is acceptable.

Today's version of Stir-Fry Mung Bean Sprouts is much simpler than Lightly Sauteed Bean Sprouts. It is done with green onions (lots of it!), ginger, garlic and sliced red chili.

It is also budget-friendly, and probably cost less than a dollar for a serving of two.


Stir-Fry Mung Bean Sprouts 青葱炒豆芽
Ingredients: 2-3 green onions (Note: You can absolutely substitute green onions with spring leeks that are in season right now), separate the bottom white and top green, slice to half-finger length, 2-3 thin slices ginger, 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced, 1 red chili thinly sliced, 1/2 pack cleaned mung bean sprouts (Note1: you can use soy bean sprouts - 黄豆芽 if you wish), salt and ground white pepper to taste.

Directions: Sweat the bottom-white green onions, ginger, garlic for about 3 minutes. Add bean sprouts, saute about 2 minutes, then red chili and saute till bean sprouts turn crisp-tender. Add the top green part of green onions give it a good toss. Salt and white pepper to taste


Sharing Mung Bean Sprouts with Weekend Herb Blogging WHB#332 hosted by Rachel of Rachel The Crispy Cook

 
Tag: bean sprouts, mung bean sprouts

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Watercress Soup - Soup of the Day

Mention Chinese watercress - 西洋菜 (pronounced Xi Yang Cai) and most Chinese will associate it with SOUP. This vegetable turns out almost like another superfood to me. According to the online Chinese encyclopedia, consuming watercress during the Fall season (the season when flu/cold is rampant in Northern Hemisphere), aids better breathing in the overall body system, as watercress is touted as a natural expectorant. No more nasal spray, no more Mucinex. And believe it or not, some sources even state that watercress contains MORE calcium than milk, MORE vitamin C than oranges and MORE iron than spinach. Too good to be true? I don't know. But eating MORE vegetables can't be anyway harmful...


Moreover, cooler temperatures mean warm soothing soup on the way, warming our body inside out, comforting us outside in. Watercress and watercress soup for WHB #206, hosted by Yasmeen, Health Nut. Come, join us.



Watercress Soup
Ingredients: 1 bunch watercress, rinsed; gojiberry; red dates; chicken balls (made from leftover fillings of wonton dumplings)

Directions: Make chicken balls out of ground chicken mixture and set aside on plate. Boil a pot of water and when water boils, add in watercress and red dates and allow to come to a boil. When boiling, lower the heat and allow to simmer (pot covered) till the watercress is cooked and softened. Stir occasionally. Add in gojiberry and chicken meatballs and continue to simmer till chicken meatballs are cooked. Dish out the chicken meatballs and set aside to prevent overcooking of the meatballs. Allow the watercress to simmer longer. Finally, ladle soup over the meatballs and serve.

Tag: watercress, soup, watercress soup

Fresh Matrimony Vine Leaves Soup, Kou Kee Chye Soup

These vegetables are fast. Fast to cook. It took me less than 30 seconds to solely cook these vegetables. Holy matrimony! Ha...I really love to play with these words "matrimony", "macaroni". These vegetables are known as Fresh Matrimony Vine Leaves - 枸杞叶 (Kou Kee Chye in Hokkien dialect). New. Strange.

Perfectly infused. Comfortably delicious. Supremely healthy...

They are not new or strange if you can associate with Gojiberry/Wolfberry. These are the leaves of the "super berry" plant, YES YES YES...and being the leaves of this "super berry", the leaves cannot be anyway inferior to the berries? YES YES YES...BUT

They are thorny...OUCH!

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Black, Red, Cream Quinoa for Congee, Salads, Soups

I have been eating quinoa for a while now, but since I've been eating them supposedly the boring way - there is nothing fanciful I can tell you about. I do promise myself I will do more with quinoa such as Buttered Black Peppered Mushrooms with Quinoa and Brown Rice Salad in time to come.

So, what about quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)? It is an ancient grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America, and full of vitamins and minerals. If you are a true-blue vegetarian, quinoa is one of the few plant foods that provides complete protein: balanced protein, with a high level of the amino acid - lycine.

This "gold of the Incas" has found its way to the modern kitchen. Other than the standard cream-coloured quinoa typically seen being sold, I have also tried the black and red quinoa and enjoy them all. Other than the texture differences in the many quinoa varieties (e.g. red/black quinoa is more "crunchy" when cooked), the nutrition profile is almost similar.


I usually buy these three varieties from the bulk section in WholeFoods Market. When it comes to cooking, I mix them with rice, and cook them like how I prepare rice or congee. There is really a depth of textures in my rice or congee when I mix those grains and seeds. Red quinoa seeds stay firmer and crunchier after cooking - better suited for salad recipes.

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Amaranth - Power Substitute Rice, Porridge, Congee

Amaranth, similar to quinoa, contain essential amino acids that are nearly complete for plant-based protein - those essential amino acids that our body can't make and needs to get through food.


Most fruits and vegetables do not contain a complete set of amino acids (in proteins), thus make sure you eat an extensive range of vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains and seeds, especially when you are a vegetarian.

Another power congee of mine: red quinoa, amaranth, lentils, green beans. Amaranth is high in fiber and nutrient-rich, with a high concentration of lysine, an essential amino acid - makes it a complete protein.

I really enjoy experimenting grains and seeds from the bulk bins. That is when I can buy just the quantity I want to get my taste buds excited - and just in case, my taste buds are not, nothing is wasted!

 


Another option for grains (seeds) to be shared with folks at Weekend Herb Blogging - WHB#279 (April 11th to April 17th) with our host, Anh, from A Food Lover's Journey



Tag: amaranth, grains, seeds

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Steamed Okra with Spicy Shallots 蒸羊角豆

Just as the other half at home was down with a cough arising from scratchy itchy throat recently, I had to be extra careful of the food I cooked at home. I bought a bag of okra before his cough condition got worse and was worried if okra would make the cough better or worse? Okay if okra had "neutral" effects, at least it is not the food that cause the cough to get worse.


So this is spicy and not suitable for sore throat/cough conditions but it is my share.

His portion/serving was also steamed but the change of dressing/sauce to non-spicy is easy - a drizzle of soy sauce + sesame oil.


Steamed Okra with Spicy Shallots
Prepare spicy shallots in a saute pan with 1/2 shallots, thinly sliced ; 1/2 tsp of sambal belacan and 1-2 tbsp water. Set aside the spicy shallots. Steam 10-12 okra, sliced at a bias, for about 8 minutes till okra is just cooked tender. If you prefer, you can steam it longer 10-12 minutes for softer version. Add the spicy shallots over the steamed shallots when ready to serve.


Okra is is a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins with healthy amounts of vitamin A, and flavonoid antioxidants such as beta carotenes, xanthin and lutein. These compounds are known to be essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin.

Okra is also a good source of folates, Vitamin K, Vitamin-C,and rich in B-complex group of vitamins like niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. The pods also contain good amounts of vitamin K.

Sharing Okra with Weekend Herb Blogging WHB#342 hosted by Anca of Matrioska's Adventures

Tag: okra, steamed okra

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Cordyceps 冬虫夏草

夏季吃虫草，冬季不生病: literally translated from Mandarin, it means nourish with cordyceps during summer and you won't fall sick in winter. The Chinese believe in nourishment with food to strengthen the body and immunity. This is especially true when you live in a country with distinct four seasons and changes in temperatures tend to make the body weak and be susceptible to falling sick when immunity cells fails to respond.


What is cordyceps? It is the figurative description of a parasitic relationship between a caterpillar and the fungus, thus the Chinese name 冬虫夏草 (Caterpillar in Winter turned Fungus in Summer). Some even consider cordyceps as the world’s most researched mushroom for increasing endurance.


Cordyceps is often claimed to improve all systems of the body: slow aging process, boost immune responses, and increase strength and power - all related to the life energy (qi) including stamina and endurance. Some sources have even claimed that high cholesterol levels and cancer can be possibly cured by this wonder plant (drug).


Wonder or weird, you ask and question. I do not know. But the fact is the price of cordyceps has sky-rocketed basically 900% between 1998 and 2008, an annual average of over 20 percent!


The Chinese typically use cordyceps in herbal soups that is created to help cleanse and nourish the body. Cordyceps is also now available in supplements - so we can just pop a capsule for convenience instead of double-boiling herbal soups using the super-duper expensive cordycep ingredient.

Sharing Cordyceps herb with Weekend Herb Blogging WHB#343 hosted by Cleare of Il Pomodoro Rosso

Tag: cordyceps, herbs

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Chili Eggplants (Aubergine, Brinjal) - 香辣茄子

I saw these cute little baby eggplants in my local farmer's market a few months ago, could not resist and fell into the zone of "buy first, think later".


Eggplants are also known as brinjal or aubergine. What name is it, at where you are staying? These eggplants are slightly firmer than the Chinese (long) eggplants. Don't you think their shape resemble eggs?

Other than warm soups and stews, a spicy dish like this Chili Eggplants 香辣茄子 sure walk us through winter at the same time.

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Curry Leaf, Curry Love

I've taken such a long hiatus from Weekend Herb Blogging that I've forgotten the rules! Yes, rules. No problem! I just need to go back to Cook Almost Anything, follow the rules, then send this post to the host of this week - Marija from Palachinka.

The herb or plant that deserves a little limelight in this week's WHB is Curry Leaf.


Distinctively aromatic due to the presence of volatile essential oils, curry leaves - fresh or dried, are usually added into hot oil (tempering) to exude its additive scent and enticing flavor to permeate all dishes; and to precipitate its nutrition to that little quantity of oil. Curry leaves provide a subtle spicy flavor to curries and many legume dishes. In addition to the presence of essential oils, curry leaves contain chlorophyll, beta carotene and folic acid, riboflavin, calcium and zinc.

Fresh leaves stay fresh at least for two to three weeks, when stored in refrigerator, sealed in a plastic bag. When left opened, they dry out easily. Dried leaves can be used in cooking, but in my opinion, the flavor of fresh curry leaves is superior and irreplaceable.

Curry leaves are easily available in Asia and not expensive (less than a dollar for a reasonable bunch of leaves). However, back in Bay Area California, they are comparatively more expensive. Previously, I have bought curry leaves in California at $14.99/lb. Though the weight does not constitute a pound and me paying $14.99 for it, it is still not considered cheap for that few leaves.

What are the environment conditions that encourage the cultivation and growth of curry leaves? I do not know. But I do know curry leaves are "hardy" plants that even insects and pests avoid. The leaves have a distinct curry aroma that apparently acts like a natural insecticide - this must be true because I never found a single hole ("insect bite") in any of the curry leaves.

Curry leaves also mark a distinctive spot in one of the dishes - Cereal Shrimps/Prawns, common and popular in Singapore and Malaysia. I have heard of attempts where in the absence of curry leaves, substitute such as basil was used to re-create this dish but I do not think it comes any closer to the real deal. When I have excess curry leaves, I also try to use them in Shrimps in Spicy Milk-Sauce. These are just some wonderful simple recipes you can try at home.

Recently, I have also made a simple chickpea dish with curry leaves. Robust flavors with minimal ingredients! Thanks to curry leaves :D


Tag: curry leaf, herb,plant

Trio of Vegetables Stir-Fry - a battle of veggies!

This is a trio of stir-fry vegetables (organic baby spinach, baby bok choy and cabbage). No, I did not fry them altogether in the same wok at the same time. Rather, the vegetables were stir-fried separately - first the baby bok choy with garlic and ginger (without the mushrooms and carrots this time); then the baby spinach with garlic, finally cabbage with green onions, garlic and ginger.


Being the only vegetable that deserves some caramelization, the cabbage was cooked last and via a slightly different frying technique (also a longer cooking time) compared to the other two more gently sauteed vegetables.

The cooking is usually the easy task. It's the prep. (cleaning, cutting, chopping etc.) that takes time. Do you have this habit of mise en place (making sure everything is in order) when you cook?

Mise en place

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