What's for lunch? Jambalaya

I'm a California boy and so I don't know much about Southern cooking. However, I decided to give it a shot.

Garnished with a celery top because I'm fancy that way

I got this recipe online; if your treasured jambalaya is different than mine, so be it.

Nevertheless, this came out delicious—excuse me, this dish is totally awesome dude! (or hella good if you're from Northern California). Anyway, I bet my Dixie friends here in Taiwan would approve.

Let's cook! (excuse me again—Let's cook y'all!)

Cut 2-3 chicken breasts and 2-3 sausage links into pieces. Andouille sausage is recommended (in Taiwan? Hah!) I do have a connection with an American-run BBQ restaurant that makes their own non-sweet non-Taiwanese sausage.

Click on the photos to enlarge. 

Sauté the sausage in some oil in a large pot. Remove.

Sauté the chicken in the same pot. Remove.

In the same pot, sauté
1 diced onion
1 diced bell pepper
2 stalks diced celery
3-4 cloves minced garlic.

Stir in one big can of crushed tomatoes.

Add
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp oregano
1/2 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 Tsp black pepper
(or, instead of the above, add 1 Tbsp of your favorite Cajun seasoning)
1/2 Tsp Italian seasoning (can omit if using canned Italian tomatoes)
1/2 Tsp red pepper flakes (I use the packets that come with pizza)
2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce

Add the cooked chicken and sausage. Cook for 10 minutes.

Stir in 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and 1 1/4 cups uncooked rice.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Do not lift the lid during cooking or you risk having undercooked rice. Resist the urge to peek!

This came out plenty spicy for me, but if you want more heat you can add some Tabasco sauce to taste.

Also, if you want shrimp, add it after the rice is done and cook for another 7 minutes or until the shrimp is done.

By the way, this will serve 6 people easily.

What's for dinner? Sichuan pork belly

The original name of this recipe is Sichuan Double-Cooked Pork Belly. It uses meat that has already been cooked and prepared as a temple offering, then brought home and fried up in this dish. Since I didn't have any sacrificial meat on hand, the pork in my version is only cooked once.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pork belly, sliced
• 1 pkg. dried tofu, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced (I didn't have any so I used regular onion)
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red chili pepper, sliced
• 1/2 head of Chinese cabbage, torn
• 1 Tbsp spicy soybean paste
• 1½ Tbsp sweet soybean paste
• 1½ Tbsp rice wine
• 2½ Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a pan.

Fry the pork belly until brown.

Remove from pan.

Fry the tofu in the pork oil until the white areas are golden.

Remove from pan.

 

Stir fry the garlic and onion until fragrant.

Add the spicy and sweet soy bean pastes and mix over low heat.

Add the rice wine and mix.

Stir in the pork belly and tofu on medium heat.

Mix in the bell pepper, red chili…

...and cabbage.

Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and serve.

This recipe is 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.

What's for dinner? Hakka-style braised tofu & greens in oyster sauce 客家燒豆腐、蠔油青菜

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.

Add the tapioca (or corn) starch mixture to thicken the sauce.

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.

What's for dinner? Black Eyed Peas with Cornbread 米豆跟玉米蛋糕

My Georgia friend David knows that I like black eyed peas (the food and the music group), and so presented me with a vacuum-sealed package that he picked up here in Taiwan.

They are usually called 米豆 "rice beans" in Taiwan, and they're more popular than I thought.

In fact, there's even a restaurant in Kaohsiung called 米豆便當 "Black Eyed Peas Lunch Box" [Google Maps]

Let's cook!

Ingredients – Black Eyed Peas

1 pound dry black eyed peas 5 cups water 4 cubes chicken bouillon 1/2 pound bacon 1/4 cup butter 1 onion, chopped 1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into bite-size pieces 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Black pepper to taste

Place the peas in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cool water.
Let the peas soak for 8 hours/overnight.


Drain the peas and place in slow-cooker pot.
Dissolve the bouillon cubes in 5 cups of water and add to the peas.

Cook the bacon until browned; set bacon aside to cool.
Retain the bacon grease in the pan and add the butter.

Cook the onion until golden.
Stir the onions and cooking fat into the peas.


Crumble the bacon and add to the peas.


This was the only ham available at my local market.
Using this ham, I didn't need to add pepper—nor papper!


Slice the ham and add to the peas.


If desired, add 1/4 teaspoon—more or less to taste—of red pepper flakes or other hot spice.
Since I had recently ordered pizza, I used the Pizza Hut chili flakes that came with my order.

Cook on low for 8~10 hours.

Ingredients – Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal 1 cup flour 1/4 sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg

In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, oil, and egg together.
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into a greased pan.
Bake 20~25 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until toothpick (or chopstick in my case!) comes out clean.

Serve the black eyed peas with warm corn bread. Yummy!