Chayote Bell Peppers Stir-Fry 佛手瓜清炒灯笼椒

Have you taken a closer look at chayote and realized that it resembles the form of two fists clasped together? Chayote is also known as 合掌瓜 or 佛手瓜, with the former literally meaning "the joining of fists or palms".

Chayote is high in potassium, low in sodium and a good source of other trace minerals. It is crisp and  tastes mildly sweet when consumed raw. Think of pears. Still, as a rather bland and light-tasting ingredient, it does not over-power other ingredients in a quick-stew or stir-fry.


If you are budget-conscious cook, then you should be doing stir-fry quite, or in fact, very regularly. Stir-fry is one of the best cooking methods to flexibly "wok" your ingredients in many versatile dishes thus very importantly, making sure each and every ingredient is used up in some way, stretching your grocery budget.

Continue Reading >>

Grilled Eel Rice, Unagi Don 鳗鱼饭

Not until I saw eel and eel bento being promoted all over on ad flyers of two of my neighborhood Japanese supermarkets, I did not even know the existence of a day Doyo-ushi - a day in Japan that is "dedicated" to eating eel (unagi). Generally, the consumption of eel during hot and humid summer days in Japan helps people fight fatigue and recover stamina as eel is nutritious with a rich source of Vitamins A, B1, B2 and E.

Japanese unagi imported from Japan, available in Mitsuwa (on sale for $17.99 for 4.4oz eel)

Eel is actually not seasonal and can be enjoyed all-year round. You can always order eel sushi, or eel rice (Unangi Don) from the regular menu in a reputed Japanese eatery; or buy eel (typically, already broiled, then vacuum-packed) from the supermarket.

Due to decreasing eel population, it is now very rare to have eels from Japan that is imported and sold in our local supermarkets. Most packaged broiled eels (I would say 90%) sold in Japanese and Korean supermarkets are all from China. If you frequent Japanese restaurants/eateries very often, and happens to love Unagi Don, that unagi is most likely from China as well.

Eel preparation, with reference to JustOneCookbook.com 

Rare as the facts but on this special day of Doyo-ushi and a week before, some supermarkets here in the Bay Area especially the Japanese supermarkets bring in eels, usually already broiled and vacuum-sealed, that are indeed "product of Japan". As a bonus to eel-consumers, it might be during this time that the already expensive "product of Japan" (about $25 for just about a 5-oz broiled eel) will be discounted, to about $18 - well, not heavily discounted but still a discount; and without doubt, even after sale, it is still much more expensive than the China eel counterpart that is just 1/5th the price ($6-7 for about 5-6oz eel).

Which would you buy?

Continue Reading >>

Rice Rolls & Egg Stir-Fry 鸡蛋鱼松肠粉

Mornings are the most energizing and motivating. You wake up feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep, gearing to complete what is already planned for the rest of the day.

However, the motivation to make this breakfast dish did not come about after waking up from bed. It was "conceptualized" the night before.

Do you plan ahead of what to make/cook for breakfast?


For us, the no-brainer, no-plan, hassle-free breakfast is cereals/granola + milk or oatmeal. Occasionally, add a peanut butter toast and even better, plus a hard-boiled egg, then everything ends well with coffee.

Once in a while, one has to plan when change is intended.

In the US, we do not have the luxury of hawker-style breakfast such as fishball noodles, fried carrot cake and fried bee hoon. So to break the routine of cereals/granola and/or peanut butter toast breakfast, get cooking!

Continue Reading >>

Celery Cashew Nut Salad 凉拌西芹腰豆

This no-fuss three-ingredient, dressing ingredient not included, side-dish salad is easy to prepare (no stir-frying required) and if you are thinking of making more and storing in the fridge, the good news is, it also keeps well (~ two days) in the fridge.


For a non-spicy dressing, omit the chili "sauce" in this dressing. Personally, I prefer sesame oil as one of the components in a dressing for Asian-style salads or side-dishes; while using extra-virgin olive oil or flax oil for Mediterranean-style bean-based salads.

Continue Reading >>

Vegetables-Simmered Rice Vermicelli “Stir-Fry" 蔬菜焖米粉

Whenever we visit Singapore, the flight would typically be the wee hours in the morning, flying in from San Francisco. In our most recent April visit, it was an evening flight instead, coincidentally coinciding with late dinner time at my parents'.

Few days before our arrival, I had particularly requested a light dinner, preferably one-dish as I did not want extra work for my parents and their helper. As wished, our dinner was a one-dish rice vermicelli dish cooked with vegetables. Simple, light, and comforting yet very flavorful (what a perfect after-flight meal!).

I knew the flavor came from simmering the vegetables (and vermicelli) with homemade chicken stock/broth marrying the savory of chicken stock and sweetness of vegetables, then completely absorbed by the rice vermicelli.


It may be a simple dish but I believe every (Asian, or Chinese) family has its own version of "stir-fry" rice vermicelli bee hoon. Not long after I returned to California, I decided to replicate this dish, my way - a way of stir-fry bee hoon that is not greasy.

Continue Reading >>

Bittermelon, Woodear Mushrooms Steamed Chicken 苦瓜黑木耳蒸鸡

This might look strange or even weird as bitter melon and chicken are usually braised as one-dish and not steamed like what is done here. Steaming is a fuss-free alternative to cook this dish, if you are not turned off by bitter-melon.


Taste-wise, I am not particularly happy with the results. I prefer Braised Chicken with Bittermelon to this steamed version, anytime. However, as a way of positive thinking, this dish has two healthy and nutritious ingredients - bitter melon and woodear mushrooms. They are equivalent to the "super-food" in the Chinese culinary world - each has unique compounds that are beneficial for us, medicinal, health or even beauty.

Woodear mushrooms are rich in plant collagen and contains very high amounts of iron, protein and riboflavin (vitamin B12) that is comparable to that of meat (Source: Ezyhealth).

Other than being an excellent source of Vitamin Bs, Vitamin C and the essential minerals and nutrients, bitter melon contains a unique phyto-constituent - charantin, that has a hypoglycemic effect, keeping blood sugar under control. There is also plant insulin - polypeptide P which have been suggested as insulin replacement in some diabetic patients.

Continue Reading >>

Achar Pickles Mulberries, Cucumber, Carrot 自制南洋风味腌菜

Though Achar can refer to Indian pickles, it is also a popular pickle/condiment in Malaysia and Singapore.


I grew up with the authentic Peranakan version that is usually made with cucumbers, carrots, pineapples mixed in with spice paste (rempah), shallots, ground peanuts in a vinegar-sugar based dressing. However today I am making the easier version that allows you to have a taste of Achar without the use of rempah - meaning, you do not need to grind or pound any paste.

Hopefully the switch-up of ingredients from traditional Achar will also inspire you to have your own light bulb moment.

Dried mulberries

The dried mulberries is a new ingredient here, and definitely sweeten up the whole deal.  Other ingredients used in this Achar recipe is quite basic so you do not have to intentionally go out there to get the ingredients.

No pineapples. No ground peanuts. Cucumbers, carrots, shallots were all I had.

Continue Reading >>

Broccolini, Bean Sprouts with Peanut Vinaigrette 自制花生酱拌花椰菜苗, 豆芽

There are two ways I enjoy salads and that can be seen from what I usually put together - either fruits and/or vegetables salad in this homemade vinaigrette dressing or vegetables salad in peanut-sauce and/or ground-sesame dressing.


Today, this three-ingredient salad is enjoyed with a newly created peanut-sauce dressing, an upgraded version from this basic peanut butter sauce, which is perfectly balanced - nutty, tangy, salty, sweet, spicy.

Continue Reading >>

Mushrooms Spinach Saute with Noodles and Egg 清炒蘑菇菠菜

Preparing a meal for one (self) can be quite demotivating. Rather, it is wanting the MOST - tasty, nutritious, healthy, from the LEAST - time and effort. When you cook for a family (two of more), the ROI seems to be higher. No?

ROI or "Return of Investment". Consider this - for a little more time and effort, the whole family gets to enjoy delicious and healthy food, therefore the tendency to cook more side-dishes and more interesting dishes.

The logic of an engineer can be somewhat dangerous, sometimes.

However, don't forget to pamper yourself once in a while, even if it is preparing a meal just for yourself.


This quick ramen noodles with three kinds of mushrooms, and organic baby spinach fits the bill of wanting the most from the least.

The entire preparation DOES NOT involve much rinsing/cleaning and cutting/chopping - steps that typically take most time. It takes less than 30 minutes from prep.to finish and end of the meal, it leaves one feeling satisfied, healthy and...pampered.

Sandwiches, burgers and wraps are easy meals for one. Often, I also turn to noodles with "some other vegetables (or meat)" when cooking for one.

What would you cook if you are just preparing food for one person, for example, for yourself? Would you rather have salad, some kind of burger, or this?

Continue Reading >>

Spiced Potato Tomato Rice, Indian Biryani-Style 印度式土豆番茄饭

Remember this one-pot Cabbage Rice? The idea of fuss-free cooking where it is best to cook "everything" (carbs, vegetables, protein) in one-pot or one-pan, never fails to inspire me in creating new dishes. Chicken soup turns chicken soup noodles, stir-fry vegetables transforms to a vegetable stir-fry noodle. Less pots and pans means less cleaning up and in some way, makes cooking less of a hassle.

I fell deeper in love with cooking a one-pan "everything" dish when I made two recent discoveries - using Indian Basmati Rice for a classic Chinese dish, and the HappyCall (ceramic-coated non-stick) Pan. It started with this Shanghai Vegetables Rice (I have used Indian basmati rice for a rather traditional Shanghai dish) - all cooked and done in the same pan/pot, with basmati rice - from start to finish. Using basmati rice, the final dish was less "sticky and wet" compared to using jasmine rice when cooked with moisture-rich vegetables. I don't often cook with white rice but recently, for the sake of Shanghai Vegetable Rice, I have.

Continue Reading >>