HK-Style Claypot Rice with Spareribs

Ingredients

• Rice (long grain Thai rice preferred) - 2 rice cooker measuring cups / 1.5 American cups / 360mL

• Water

• Oil

• Short spare ribs, 1-inch pieces - 1LB / 500g

• Green onion - 1 piece

Spare ribs marinade

• Garlic, minced - 4 cloves

• Fermented black beans - 1 tbsp

• Oil - 1 tbsp

• Soy sauce - 2 tbsp

• Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp

• Shaoxing wine - 1 tbsp

• Grated ginger - 1 tsp

• Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp

• Salt - 1/2 tsp

• White pepper

• Starch (potato or corn) - 2 tsp

Sauce

• Soy sauce - 3 tbsp

• Dark soy sauce - 1 tbsp

• Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp

• Sugar - 1 tbsp

• Sesame oil - 1/2 tbsp

Method

Spare ribs prep + marinade

1. Cut short spare ribs into 1-inch pieces.

2. Soak ribs in plenty of cold water for at least 30 minutes, if not longer.

3. Remove the ribs from water (the blood is at the bottom of bowl so lift out the meat rather than pouring the water out so you’re not just dumping the blood over the meat again). Rinse in clean water. Pat dry.

4. In a dry pan, heat garlic in oil over low heat until fragrant. Add fermented black beans and stir fry until fragrant.

5. In a clean bowl, combine dry ribs, the garlic bean mixture and all the other marinade ingredients save for the starch. Mix well and let marinate for at least 30 min and up to a few hours.

6. After marinating, sprinkle on the starch and massage in / mix well.

Sauce

1. In a small pot / butter warmer, combine all ingredients, heat until it starts to bubble and sugar is all dissolved.

2. Set aside to cool and reserve for serving.

Assembly

• Wash and rinse rice until the water runs clear. In the very first rinse, do not wash too vigorously and drain the water immediately into the sink. Keep washing and draining a few more times. I like doing so in a strainer and a bowl that the strainer fits in. After the last rinse, let the rice drain as dry as possible.

• In a claypot or cast iron braiser that has a tight fitting lid, add the drained rice and ~80% of its volume in water (290 - 300 mL)

• Over medium-high heat and constantly stirring, cook the rice until most of the water has been absorbed.

• Reduce heat to low.

• Drizzle oil around the edge of the pan and let it seep down to the bottom. Swirl the pan around a bit to distribute more evenly. (Careful, the handles can be really hot!)

• Pile ribs into the pan in an even layer. Put the lid on and let the whole thing steam-cook for about 30-40 minutes (this largely depends on how much meat you add. I did about 35 minutes with the 1LB of ribs I used)

• After that time, turn off the heat, leave lid on and let it steam for another 10 minutes.

• Put on top some chopped green onions.

• Drizzle on the sauce to taste (Depending on how much of the marinade juices you also put in the pan, you may not need)

• Serve hot in the pan with a stiff spatula to scrape the crispy rice off the bottom!

Reference

MLiving

Beef Noodle Soup

Updated March 2021

Broth

Ingredients

• Beef bones - 1000g / 2.2lb

• Water - 4L

• Ginger, sliced - 30g

• Onion, cut in half - 1

• Bay leaf - 2

• Whole black pepper - 15

Method

• Preheat oven to 400F / 200C

• Roast beef bones, ginger, onion for 30 minutes in oven until fragrant and browned

• Cook the roasted ingredients with bay leaves and black pepper for 5 hours on stove top (or 1.5 hours in a pressure cooker)

• Chill overnight to easily skim off fat.

Braise

Ingredients

• Beef (see note) - 1200g / 2.6 lb

• Tomatoes, peeled and cut - 2

• Onion, sliced thin - 1

• Garlic cloves, smashed - 8

• Ginger, sliced - 20g

• Soy sauce - 1/2 cup

• Rice wine - 1/4 cup

• Sesame oil - 1 tbsp

• Doubanjiang - 2 tbsp

• Shachajiang - 1 tbsp

• Rock sugar - 1 tbsp

• White pepper

• Broth - 3.5L

• Spice bag:

  • Star anise - 3

  • Sichuan peppercorn - 2 tsp

  • Nutmeg, cracked - 1

  • Black Cardamom, cracked - 2

  • Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

  • Bay leaf - 2

  • Cinnamon stick - 1

Method

• Cut the meat into pieces slightly bigger than you want to end up with. It’ll shrink as it cooks. If you want cubes, cut into rectangular pieces (rectangular strips along the grain. See this video for reference.

• (Optional) The night before you’re going to braise, salt the cut meat.

• Peel the tomatoes like in this video (do not seed) and cut into chunks.

• Heat the contents for the spice bag in a dry skillet until fragrant. Add to a disposable tea bag.

• Cover the meat in a pot with cold water, boil and skim the foam until it comes out clean. Fish out the beef and rinse clean.

• Heat oil in a dutch oven. Add the blanched meat and brown on all sides. Remove meat.

• Add additional oil if necessary and stir fry onion, garlic, ginger until fragrant.

• Add the doubanjiang and shachajiang, stirfry until fragrant. Add the meat back in and toss to coat.

• Add soysauce and let it bubble in the hot pan.

• Add the tomatoes, spice bag, rock sugar, sesame oil, rice wine, and white pepper to the pot. Scrape up any brown bits

• Cover and turn to low and simmer for 1 hour. Both the beef and tomatoes will release juices. Adding no water insures that the beef fully takes on the flavors of the seasonings.

• After an hour, add most of the beef broth (reserve some for adjusting flavor later) and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender to your liking.

• Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

• Chill to easily skim off fat and let the flavors develop in fridge over night.

Notes

• I like to use chuck rib / short rib and shank. The ribs provide a meatier flavor. For the shank, get a whole one (it looks almost like a whole tenderloin), which is usually available at Asian grocery stores. Slice in half to braise. After braising, chill and cut into slices.

• I don’t recommend scaling the spices proportionally. If doubling the amount of meat, tomatoes, onions, etc…I would use 1.5x the spices…otherwise, the resulting broth is a tad too herbal-y for my liking. YMMV so if that’s what you prefer, go for it.

Beef Noodle Soup

Fixings

• Blanched vegetables

• Chewy noodles

• Chopped green onions and cilantro

• Pickled mustard greens:

  • Soak in water for 10 minutes to remove some of the salinity

  • Squeeze dry and dice

  • Heat oil in a pan and stir fry some smashed garlic cloves

  • When fragrant, add in the mustard greens and stir fry

  • At the end, add a bit of sugar and sesame oil

References

• M Living Beef Noodle Soup

• Betty Liu Braised Oxtail Bao

• 小高姐牛肉面

• 小小米桶屋牛肉面

Meatless Dumpling Filling

Ingredients

• Napa cabbage - I used about 10 big leaves

• Mu-er black fungus - I used a handful of dried. It’s about 1-1.5 cups rehydrated + chopped

• Eggs - 3

• Vermicelli - about a bunch 2cm in diameter

• Shrimp - half pound

• Seasoning: salt, soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil

Method

1. Rehydrate the vermicelli in warm water and chop / cut into 1/2 inch length.

2. Chop everything into equal-sized small dices (cabbage, fungus, shrimp) and keep separate.

3. Salt the cabbage with 2 big pinches and let sit for 10 minutes. After that, take small clumps and squeeze out the water. You can throw those in with the mu-er

4. Beat the eggs and season with same salt.

5. In a hot wok, add plenty of oil and scramble the eggs. Set aside.

6. In the same wok, cook the shrimp until almost fully cooked. Set aside.

7. In the work, heat oil and cook the cabbage, fungus, and vermicelli until most of the way cook (the cabbage start to turn translucent)

8. Add back the shrimp, stir fry and season with soy sauce, oyster sauce and white pep

9. Add back the eggs, stir fry. Turn off heat and finish with some sesame oil

Milk Toast

Working draft of the recipe, but everyone’s asking for it so a link is easier to share. Still refining!

The Recipe

Ingredients

Bread flour - 300g
Milk - 140g (lukewarm)
Heavy cream - 65g
Yeast - 3 to 5g
Sugar - 40g
Salt - 3g
Egg - 25g (beat an egg and measure out 25g. Save the remainder for egg wash)
Butter - 25g (softened to room temp, cut into 3-4 pieces)

Tools

Loaf pan, preferably one with high sides

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients except for the butter in a big bowl / stand mixer bowl. Mix until combined.

2. Continue to knead for until you can stretch it into a thin "windowpane” film. When you poke a hole, the edges are still a bit jaggedy.

   • Stand mixer: This takes about ~15 minutes on medium. It'll stick to the sides of the bowl at the beginning and look hopelessly sticky, but during the last 5 minutes or so, it should come together in a nice dough ball.

   • If going by hand: It will take a while. Godspeed, good luck.

3. After reaching that windowpane stage, knead in butter 1 piece at a time. Keep kneading until when you poke a hole through the thin “windowpane” film, the edges are smooth.

4. Tuck the dough in and under itself, preserving a smooth top. Cover with a kitchen towel and let proof until doubled in size. Try to proof in 24-28C temperature. Takes about 1 - 1.5 hours

5. Punch out the dough, transfer to a floured work surface. Divide into 3 equal parts. Take each part and form into a rough oval, keeping the smooth side on the bottom before rolling it out into a long strip with a rolling pin. Make sure you push the rolling pin all the way to the edge (you should hear air bubbles popping). Fold this dough into thirds. Turn 90 degrees so that you're rolling along where you folded. Roll this new piece into a tight roll. Place all 3 rolls in a loaf pan with a tall-ish sides. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it proof for about an hour.

6. Preheat oven to 340F.

7. Remember the remaining egg? Add a dash of milk and LIGHTLY brush a very thin layer on top of the proofed dough. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Tips

Keep all ingredients cold! It is easier to form the windowpane film / strong gluten at 24-28C temperature. As you knead, the dough will get warmer so start from cold ingredients (if you trust your yeast)

Reference materials

https://www.xiachufang.com/recipe/234550/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ak-JxHdh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VknoqZ9IZjc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9le93pztbU

Coconut Sticky Rice Cake

There are many ways to think about what type of immigrant one might be:

• Where are you from? (I am a Chinese immigrant)

• Where did you immigrate to? (I am a Chinese immigrant to Canada)

• What "generation" are you? (My parents were "the ones who moved" to Canada, but I was born in China and moved with them when I was 5 so I am a 1.5-gen Chinese immigrant to Canada)

• How did you (il)legally get here? (My parents entered Canada as "skilled workers")

• How did you physically get here? (I was "BOBA" - brought over by airplane)

All these categorizations help provide context to each immigrant's story. As I have been exposed to a wider variety of immigrants, and also spent more time considering and reflecting given the current events in America, I was struck by another dimension to the immigrant story. That is, who did you know when you arrived?

I have met immigrants who had extended family in the same city (or at least in the same country), when they first arrived. While no one in my parents' extended families lived in Canada (my dad had a distant cousin in Texas), they were fortunate in that they had a few friends from back home who also moved to Vancouver shortly before or shortly after they did. With these few friends, who then introduced my parents to other friends, my parents were able to start forming their first social circles in Vancouver. (Funny, one of the families my parents' best friends introduced them to had sat across the aisle from us on our flight over to Vancouver.)

However, there are many people who arrive knowing no one. Amongst Chinese immigrants, there soon developed all sorts of social groups as people attempted to form networks and support systems. In each city, there were 同乡会 (tong xiang hui), gatherings of people who shared the same hometown or home-province (there often weren't enough people if you limited yourself to one city or town). There were also 同学会 (tong xue hui), connecting people who went to the same schools (often universities), similar to our Facebook alum groups.

These organic and/or inorganic social circles were formed so that immigrants can ask for and give advice, can talk to someone in their mother tongue, can build a network, and, ultimately, can develop a sense of belonging. One of the key ways to achieve this amongst social circles is potluck-ing. Everyone was to contribute and bring something, often a "taste of home". During my ten years living in Vancouver before college, I went to countless of these potlucks with my family. Sometimes I was eager to hang out with my family friends, sometimes I was dragged kicking, unenthused to sit with a bunch of "uncles and aunties".

Now, I inherited my love for food from my parents and the rest of my family. My parents were what one called 会吃 (hui chi) in Chinese. "Knows how to eat", the OG foodies, before the term foodie, 吃货 (chi huo), even came along in Chinese. However, my parents were not what one would call skilled in the kitchen. Thus, I present to you our go-to potluck recipe for 年糕 (nian gao).

(As an aside, luckily for me, my maternal grandparents joined us soon after in Vancouver and I got to grow up eating the fantabulous cooking of my grandpa, the ultimate inspiration of this blog. Without my grandpa's amazing home-cooking and insistence to feed us something different every day, I would not have grown into the food-worshipping piggie I am today)

This recipe is super easy (if my mom can make it without burning down the kitchen, anyone can - sorry, mom) and requires only one mixing bowl (yay, fewer dishes to wash). This dessert is chewy, fragrant, and fantastic finger food.

年糕 literally translates to "year" and "cake" and, yep, you guessed it, is often eaten during new year's celebrations. However, 年 is also a pun for 黏, which means sticky. So, really, this is a chewy cake made from sticky rice flour. Sticky rice flour is made from glutinous short-grained rice (which is gluten-free, by the way), the same as Japanese mochi flour (mochiko もち粉). We make this recipe with canned coconut milk for the amazing coconut flavor and fragrance. Plus, you can always have a can on hand and it won't go bad.

Chinese Learning Time!

• 同 (tong) - as an adjective means mutual

• 会 (hui) - as a noun means gathering or meeting

• 乡 (xiang) - as a noun means hometown

• 学 (xue) - as a noun means school or learning

• 同乡会 (tong xiang hui) - noun, hometown group

• 同学会 (tong xue hui) - noun, alum group

• 会 (hui) as a verb means "knows how" or can

• 吃 (chi) as a verb means to eat

• 会吃 (hui chi) - adjective to describe someone who is "good at eating" and knows how to eat well

• 年 (nian) means year

• 糕 (gao) means cake

• 年糕 (nian gao) - noun, sticky rice cake

The Recipe

Ingredients

• 400 grams glutinous “sticky” rice flour

• 1 can (~13.5 oz) coconut milk

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (and some more for oiling pan)

• 3 eggs

• 2 tsp baking powder

• shredded coconut (optional)

• sliced almonds (optional)

Tools

• Baking pan, rectangular or square shaped preferred

Instructions

• Oil a baking pan or line with parchment paper

• Preheat oven to 350F / 175C

• Mix all ingredients save for the optional toppings in a bowl

• Pour batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon

• Scatter shredded coconut and sliced almonds evenly over the top, if using

• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown

• Let cool slightly, trim the edges, and cut into 1 inch x 1 inch squares

Serve warm. Reheat in microwave or oven if necessary. The best parts are the crunchy edges, so eat those yourself (when no one’s looking).