I tried cooking a new dish last night and it came out pretty good!
I admit, at the beginning I was a bit nervous trying to cook Taiwanese food. In the U.S. I was a casual cook, which to me means that I can follow a recipe, but I can't really throw things together and come up with my own dishes.
Adding to my apprehension was the fact that my kitchen is so tiny!
But if a Taiwanese ah-ma can prepare an 8-dish meal for her family under these conditions, then so can I!
LET'S COOK!
INGREDIENTS – Braised Tofu
- 2 squares firm tofu
- ½ pound pork belly
- 3 leeks
- 2 red chilies
- 1½ T fermented soybeans
- 1½ T rice wine
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 T soy sauce paste
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 T tapioca starch+3 T water
- white pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS – Braised Tofu
Soak the fermented soybeans in the rice wine for 8 minutes, then drain.
Cut the tofu into sections.
Shred one leek; slice the other leeks and red chilies.
Heat 2 T of oil. Cook two sides of the tofu until golden, then remove.
Sauté the pork belly until brown.
Add the fermented soy beans and stir-fry until fragrant.
Add the leeks, red chilies….
…broth, soy sauce, soy bean paste, and white pepper.
Bring to a low boil.
Add the browned tofu, gently stirring the mixture to prevent the tofu from breaking.
Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
Drizzle with sesame oil and scoop into a serving plate.
Top with the shredded leek.
Now for the Greens in Oyster Sauce. The original recipe calls for Chinese Broccoli (芥蘭菜). However, I was too lazy to go to the traditional vegetable market, so I just grabbed a green vegetable from the supermarket.
The one I chose, Chinese Mustard (大芥菜), is probably better suited for soups. Next time I'll get the real deal.
INGREDIENTS – Greens with Oyster Sauce
- 1 pound greens (see above)
- 8~10 mushrooms, sliced
- 2 T oyster sauce
- 4 T beef broth
- 1 T ketchup
- 1 t spicy soybean paste
- 1 t vinegar
- 1 T tapioca starch+3 T water
- ½ T sesame oil
DIRECTIONS – Greens with Oyster Sauce
Separate the leafy and stem sections of the greens. Add to a pot of boiling water.
Cook until softened and deep green in color. Drain.
Put a little oil in a pan and stir-fry the mushrooms briefly until tender.
Add the oyster sauce, broth, ketchup, soybean paste, and vinegar.
Bring to a low boil.
Add the starch and water mixture to thicken the sauce.
Drizzle the sesame oil and mix.
Arrange the greens on a plate and pour the oyster sauce on top.
These recipes are from The Best-loved Everyday Dishes: Mastering the Culinary Art in One Cookbook by Cecilia Hong Baiyang.
這個食譜是從最想學會的家常菜：從小菜到主食一次學透透 作者:洪白陽 (CC老師) 來的.
