Vegetables, Tofu & Eggs

My brother lives waaaayy over there in California and, since he’s a doctor and I’m an obsessed, sleep-deprived blogger, we get along just fine via instant messaging. Since I’ve been writing this book, we’ve been chatting online about our early food memories and stories growing up. When we were little, I was a fast and furious chop-stick weasel, able to grab, tweeze and tease the tiniest bit of food morsel. And back then, neither my brother nor I were hot on veggies, and when I caught his eyes away from his plate, I’d quick-as-flash fling my veggies onto his plate. I finally fessed up to him via instant messaging tonight. Oh boy is he pissed at me!

Garlicky Tofu and Spinach

If Popeye were Asian, he’d surely include tofu in his diet! That canned spinach has got to go, though. Who even eats canned spinach anymore when fresh is so easy to cook? Well I guess ripping off the bottom stems of the spinach and peeling back the plastic off the tub of tofu just doesn’t have the same cartoon appeal as popping open a can of spinach with his bare hands.

My Garlicky Tofu and Spinach stir-fry includes a light sauce that gently coats the tofu. Try not to move the tofu too much in the pan, or it will crumble and break.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

1 ¹/₂ tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 generous dash of ground white pepper (or black pepper)

1 generous dash of sugar

1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

¹/₂ lb (250 g) fresh spinach, washed and trimmed

Generous pinch of salt

One 16-oz (500 g) block firm or medium-firm tofu, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) cubes

1 In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, cornstarch, water, sesame oil, pepper and sugar.

2 In a wok or large frying pan, add the cooking oil and the garlic and turn the heat to medium-high. Let the oil and garlic warm up in the oil and when the oil is hot and the garlic is fragrant, add the spinach to the pan and immediately start stir-frying to mix the garlicky oil all over the spinach. Sprinkle the salt over the spinach and fry for 30 seconds.

3 Add the tofu cubes and pour the soy sauce mixture all over. Turn the heat to low, cover the wok and let cook for 1 minute.

Pan-fried Tofu with Dark Sweet Soy Sauce

This is the perfect tofu dish to make for tofu-virgins because of the crisp-crunchy texture of the tofu paired with a richly colored sweet and slightly spicy sauce. When I’m making this for the kids, I’ll leave out the chilli garlic sauce and they will happily eat as much as I put on their plates.

Use firm tofu for this recipe; anything softer will be more difficult to pan-fry. You’ll also press the tofu between large plates or cutting boards to extract the water, which will make the tofu even more firm and its texture more hearty.

Those cute green onion curls are easy to make. Use a knife or kitchen shears to cut the green onion lengthwise into super thin strips. Let them soak in icy-cold water for 10 minutes and then drain.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

2 tablespoons Chinese dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or other chilli garlic hot sauce)

One 14-oz (400-g) block firm tofu

2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 fresh chilli of your choice, sliced (optional)

1 green onion (scallion), sliced or chopped

1 In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and sambal oelek. Mix together and set aside.

2 Cut the block of tofu into 1 /₂-inch (1.25-cm)-thick slices. Place 3 layers of paper towels on a clean, dry work surface. Arrange 3 of the tofu slices on the paper towels and fold the towels over, pressing down to squeeze some of the water out of the tofu. Repeat with the remaining slices.

3 Set a large frying pan over high heat until a bead of water sizzle upon contact and evaporates. Pour enough oil to just coat the surface of the pan. Add the tofu slices to the pan, not touching each other. You might have to fry in two batches. Fry the tofu until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Tofu slices should release themselves from the pan when they’re ready. Carefully flip the tofu, away from you (the tofu may splatter) and fry the other side. Remove from the pan and drain on a rack or a paper towel.

4 Drain all but 1 teaspoon of cooking oil from the pan and return to medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the garlic and fry until fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and let simmer for 30 seconds to thicken slightly. Pour this sauce over the tofu. Top with fresh chilli and green onion.

Spicy Korean Tofu Stew

This is the best cold-weather dish ever and I make many variations of this stew depending on what I have on hand. Traditionally, this is a blow-your-socks-off spicy dish that will have even your eyelashes sweating. But you can adjust your spice level as you wish. If you can’t find Korean chilli flakes, you can use regular chilli flakes in their place.

If you’re vegetarian, skip the beef altogether and use a medley of mushrooms. When I’m in a seafood mood, I add shrimp and clams to the stew at the same time that I crack in the egg. Serve with steamed rice (preferably short-grained).

SERVES 4 (SERVE WITH RICE)

1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

¹/₂ lb (250 g) very thinly sliced beef

4 cups (1 liter) homemade or store-bought Vegetable, Beef, Pork or Chicken Stock (pages 31–32)

4 to 8 fresh shitake mushrooms

2 to 3 tablespoons Korean chilli flakes

1 tablespoon soy sauce

One 18-oz (550-g) block or tube of silken tofu, cut into large cubes

4 eggs

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 green onions (scallions), sliced on the diagonal into 2-in (5-cm) lengths

1 Set a pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beef slices and fry for 1 minute until browned. Pour in the stock, add the shitake mushrooms, chilli flakes and soy sauce. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.

2 Carefully add the tofu and return the stew to a rolling boil. Taste the stew and add additional chilli flakes or soy sauce if needed. Crack the eggs into the pot and let the eggs cook until the egg whites are white but the yolk still runny. Turn off heat, drizzle with the sesame oil and finish with the sliced green onions. Serve in bowls on top of the rice.

Green Beans with Preserved White Radish

Chinese love pickled and preserved vegetables, especially to eat in congee (rice porridge) or to stir-fry with vegetables. In this recipe we’re using preserved white radish, or daikon, that is salted and dried. In China, this is called “lo bak gon”.

The preserved radish is sweet, salty and has a slightly chewy crunch. Just a little bit of it will flavor an entire dish.

Each brand of pickled vegetables is seasoned differently, some are saltier than others, which is why you’ll taste-test towards the end of the stir-fry and then add more soy sauce if needed.

SERVES 4

1 lb (500 g) green beans

2 tablespoons dried preserved radish

1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Pinch of sugar

¹/₂ teaspoon sesame oil

1 Fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the green beans and parboil for 6 minutes. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Drain thoroughly.

2 In a small bowl, add the preserved radish and cover with cold water. Swirl around for 30 seconds to wash the excess salt off. Drain and squeeze as much water out of the radish as possible.

3 Set a wok or large frying pan over high heat. When the wok is hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the preserved radish and garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic is fragrant, about 15 to 30 seconds.

4 Add the green beans and fry for 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Pick up a piece of green bean and a little of the radish and taste. You’re looking for two things: to make sure the green beans are cooked through and tender-crisp and to taste for correct seasoning. If needed add an additional teaspoon of soy sauce.

Japanese Mushrooms Baked in Soy Sake Butter

Fresh mushrooms get a Japanese touch with this recipe. Cooking mushrooms can’t get any easier than in aluminum foil! I like to use a combination of fresh shitake and enoki mushrooms. Use whatever fresh mushrooms your market carries—even non-Asian mushrooms are awesome cooked this way. Make sure that your mushrooms are relatively the same size (thinly sliced) so that they are cooked through at the same time.

If you don’t have sake, you can substitute with a dry white wine or just leave it out. I’ve even done this with a splash of Japanese beer (and of course drinking the rest!). Shichimi Togarashi is one of the coolest Japanese spice mixtures. It includes chilli powder, orange peel, sesame seeds, ginger, seaweed and Japanese pepper. I sprinkle it on udon and soba noodle soups, steamed vegetables and of course these mushrooms. If you can’t find it at your stores, try a blend of Asian chilli powder and sesame seeds.

SERVES 4 AS SIDE DISH

rimmed and cut into ¹/₈-in (3-mm) slices (see Tip below for preparation of enoki mushrooms)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sake (or dry white wine)

1 tablespoon mirin

1 ¹/₂ tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces

¹/₂ teaspoon Shichimi Togarashi (or Asian chilli powder)

Aluminum foil

1 Lay out a long piece of aluminum foil, about 36 x 12 inches (90 x 30 cm). If you’re using thin foil, it’s best to double or even triple up to prevent ripping. Lay all the mushrooms in the center of the foil. Pour the soy, sake and mirin over the mushrooms, and lay the butter pieces on top. Fold up the foil so that the mushrooms are securely enclosed and the liquids do not spill out.

2 To cook the mushrooms directly on a gas stovetop, turn one of your burners to its lowest setting. Place the entire packet on the grate, right above the flame. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the foil packet is puffy and you can hear the sauce bubbling away. To cook the mushrooms under an oven broiler, place the oven rack about 8 inches (20 cm) from the heating element. Turn the broiler to high and broil for 5 to 7 minutes.

3 When the mushrooms are done, make a crisscross slit on the top of the packet, sprinkle with the Shichimi Togarashi and serve.

More Options:

If you forget to pick up aluminum foil at the store, you can also make this recipe in a frying pan. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. When hot, add the butter to melt. Add the mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes. Add the soy, sake, mirin and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through. Sprinkle with Shichimi Togarashi and serve.

TIP: If you are using enoki mushrooms, cut the tough ends off and with your fingers, separate the bunches into several smaller bunches.

Simple Baby Bok Choy and Snow Peas

Baby bok choy and snow peas only take a couple of minutes to cook, and steaming them in a light broth makes the dish so much better. Instead of heating up your wok or pan hot first, you’ll warm up the oil WITH the garlic and ginger. As the oil heats up, it gently fries the aromatics, releasing its flavors into the oils. Basically, you’re infusing the oil with as much flavor as you can prior to adding and frying the vegetable. This method will also prevent you from burning your garlic and ginger too! Once the oil heats up enough to add the vegetables, you’ll toss the vegetables and roll ’em around in the beautiful garlicky-gingery oil to coat every single leaf. A splash of light stock or water will create enough steam to cook the vegetables.

SERVES 4

1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (see Jaden’s Ginger Tips, page 33)

³/₄ lb (350 g) baby bok choy, leaves separated

¹/₂ lb (250 g) snow peas

¹/₂ cup (125 ml) store-bought or homemade Mom’s Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock (page 31) or water

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

¹/₂ teaspoon sesame oil

1 Add the cooking oil, garlic and ginger into a wok or large frying pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. As the oil heats up, the garlic and ginger will sizzle and infuse the oil with flavor. When the oil is hot (be careful not to burn the garlic and ginger) add the bok choy and the snow peas. Immediately toss to coat the vegetables in the garlic, ginger and oil.

2 Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the stock or water and oyster sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the bok choy is crisp-tender at the stem. Drizzle on the sesame oil and serve.

Tofu and Clams in a Light Miso Broth

I call this my zen-meal. Every aspect of this dish is soothing, from the mindful scrubbing of the clams, to my knife effortlessly gliding through the silken tofu, and even gentle stirring to melt the miso in the broth. It’s clean, simple and you never feel stuffed after having a bowl! It’s a perfect dish to make after a stressful day.

The silky soft tofu and feather-light enoki mushrooms are perfect just the way they are. They do not need to be boiled, but are simply warmed through in the broth. The type of Japanese noodles I like to use are called hiyamugi, sort of a cross between somen (thin) and udon (thick), but as always, use what you can find or have in your pantry.

You can use any type of miso you prefer—the white (shiro) miso is more delicate while the darker misos will be saltier and heavier.

1 Have 4 separate serving bowls ready, near the stove. Divide the tofu cubes and the enoki mushrooms among the bowls.

2 In a medium pot, combine the water and the dashi granules and bring to a boil. Add the dried noodles to the pot and cook according to package instructions. Use a pair of tongs or chopsticks to remove the noodles, reserving the broth in the pot. Divide the noodles among the bowls.

3 Return the dashi broth to a boil over medium heat and add the clams. When the clams open wide, about 3 minutes, remove the clams and add them to the bowls. Discard any that do not open. Turn off the heat and whisk in the miso. Taste and whisk in more miso if desired. Quickly ladle the hot miso broth into each bowl and serve.

SERVES 4 AS A LIGHT LUNCH OR HEARTY FIRST COURSE

12 oz (350 g) soft silken tofu, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) cubes

¹/₄ lb (125 g) fresh enoki mushrooms

8 cups (2 liters) water

2 teaspoons instant dashi granules

4 oz (125 g) dried Japanese noodles (soba, hiyamugi or somen)

24 small clams, such as littlenecks, scrubbed

3 tablespoons miso (any type)

Asparagus and Crab with a Light Ginger Sauce

Mom makes this dish a lot at home, either with broccoli or asparagus. She uses pre-cooked, packaged crabmeat. Mom taught me a few tricks about using pre-cooked crab-meat from the market. If you’re using canned crabmeat, drain and discard the water in the can first. If using frozen crabmeat, defrost then lightly squeeze to get some of the excess water. Delicately toss the crabmeat with a little ginger juice, lemon juice and a dash of fish sauce. This will help give some flavor back to the crabmeat. Of course, if you have fresh crabmeat, even better! There’s a lot of meat in a big snow crab leg, so sometimes I just buy one leg and pick the meat out of it to use in this dish.

1 Working over a bowl, use your fingers to squeeze the grated fresh ginger to release its juice. You should get about ¹/₂ to 3 /₄ teaspoon of ginger juice. Add the fish sauce, if using, lemon juice and crabmeat. Gently mix.

2 In a wok or large sauté pan, add the stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and immediately cover. Steam on medium heat for 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Use a pair of tongs to remove the asparagus to a plate, leaving the broth in the pan. Drizzle the sesame oil over the asparagus.

3 Return the pan with the broth to the stove on low heat. Bring to a simmer and add the crabmeat mixture. Return to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and let thicken, about 15 seconds. Taste the broth, and season with additional salt if needed. Pour over the asparagus.

SERVES 4

One 1-in (2.5-cm) piece of ginger, grated (see Jaden’s Ginger Tips, page 33)

¹/₂ teaspoon fish sauce (optional)

¹/₂ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

6 oz (175 g) cooked crabmeat

³/₄ cup (185 ml) store-bought or homemade Vegetable Stock or Seafood Stock (pages 31–32)

¹/₄ teaspoon sugar

Generous pinch of salt

¹/₄ teaspoon ground white pepper

1 lb (500 g) asparagus, ends trimmed

¹/₂ teaspoon sesame oil

Cornstarch slurry: ¹/₂ teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cool water

Three Pea Stir-fry

My family loves peas every which way except for canned. What better way to please all than to stir-fry a combination of sugar snap, snow peas and shelled peas? Sometimes I’ll stand in the kitchen and just eat them straight out of the wok.

The peas cook at different times, so I add the sugar snap peas first. At my markets, fresh shelled peas are hard to find, so I often grab a bag of frozen peas. No need to defrost—just add them frozen right into the wok!

SERVES 4 AS SIDE DISH

¹/₂ lb (250 g) sugar snap peas

¹/₂ lb (250 g) snow peas

¹/₂ lb (250 g) shelled peas (fresh or frozen)

1 teaspoon high-heat cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Pinch of sugar

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

1 Wash all the peas. Snap and peel away the tough fiber that runs along the side of the sugar snap peas.

2 Set a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar snap peas and fry for 30 seconds. Add the snow peas and the shelled peas, and fry for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Toss and cook until the peas are tender-crisp or to your liking, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

More Options

Add some sliced fresh shitake mush-rooms—just toss them in when you’re frying the sugar snap peas.

If you’ve got a package of Chinese sausage (see page 19), take 1 sausage, dice it into ¹/₄-inch (6-mm) cubes and add them to the hot pan to fry for 1 minute before you add the garlic.

Fried Eggs with Tomato and Chinese Chives

In my backyard, I have a mini-garden with just a few of my favorite plants—tomatoes, Asian herbs, a kaffir lime tree and a variety of lettuces. When tomato season is in full swing, I’m always looking for different ways to cook them. Here’s a super-easy side dish that combines the sweet/salty oyster sauce with perfectly ripe tomatoes.

Traditionally in this dish, the eggs are scrambled along with the tomatoes, but I find that cooking them together leaves you with soggy eggs and mushy tomatoes. By cooking them separately, you’ll get a crispy edge (my kids favorite part), glorious runny yolk, and tomatoes that still hold their shape with just a slight char where flesh meets the pan.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil

3 large eggs, cracked into a bowl, keeping yolks intact

1 ripe tomato, sliced into wedges

1 small bunch Chinese chives, cut into 2-in (5-cm) lengths (see More Options for substitution ideas)

1 In a small bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce and water and set aside.

2 Set a large frying pan (nonstick is best) over high heat. When a bead of water sizzles upon contact and evaporates, add the oil and swirl to coat. Turn the heat to medium and add the eggs. Fry until the edges are crisp, the egg whites firm but the yolks still runny (sunny side up). If you want, you can tilt the pan and use a long handled spoon to spoon up some of the cooking oil and pour it on top of the eggs to cook them more quickly.

3 Carefully slide the eggs onto a plate, keeping as much oil in the pan as possible and return the pan to the stovetop on high heat. There should still be some oil left in the pan. Add the tomato wedges and the chives to the pan and let fry until the tomatoes are just warmed through and the chives wilted. Spoon the tomatoes and chives on top of the eggs. Return the same pan to the stovetop on medium heat and pour in the oyster sauce and water mixture. Let the sauce simmer for 30 seconds and drizzle on top of the dish.

More Options

If you don’t have access to Chinese chives, you really can use any type of vegetable—green onions, regular chives, any herbs (sprinkle the fresh herbs, un-cooked over finished dish), celery thinly sliced on the diagonal, sliced bamboo shoots, sliced red bell pepper, sliced mushrooms . . . be creative and use up the leftover bits of vegetables in your refrigerator!

You can also drizzle 1/₂ teaspoon of sesame oil on top of the finished dish if desired.

Mashed Potatoes with Miso

My husband surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas for my 08/08/08 birthday (yes, I am really that lucky to have a birthday like that!). We had the best splurge meal ever at a restaurant called Japonaise in the Mirage casino—Kobe Rib Eye with Miso Mashed Potatoes. While Kobe beef is pretty pricey to cook at home, the potatoes are totally do-able. Here’s my version of those creamy, dreamy potatoes. Of course, you don’t have to use truffle oil. Any good extra virgin olive oil will be just fine.

I like cooking with shiro miso (white) but any kind of miso will work. Just know that the darker the miso, the stronger the flavor and saltier as well. Start with 2 tablespoons and you can always whisk in more.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

2 lb (1 kg) Yukon gold potatoes (or Russet), scrubbed

4 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons miso

1 cup (250 ml) whole or skim milk

Drizzle of truffle oil or good extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced chives

1 Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover by 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, until you can easily slip a paring knife in and out through the middle. Drain.

2 Peel the potatoes. For the creamiest texture, pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into a bowl. Alternatively, you can use a handheld potato masher or just smash with a fork.

3 In the same saucepan, heat the butter and the garlic over medium heat. Once the butter starts bubbling and the garlic is fragrant, whisk in the miso until it is completely incorporated into the butter. Whisk in about ³/₄ cup (185 ml) of the milk. Add the potatoes and stir. Add more milk, a little at a time, until you get the consistency that you want.

4 Finish with just a little drizzle of truffle oil or extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle on the chives.

Quick Omelette with Shrimp and Peas

My brother, Jay, always requests this dish each time he goes home to visit our parents, who live about an hour away from him. Luckily, it’s a snap to make and only takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. The shrimp are split in half lengthwise, to make them easier to eat in one bite, and to allow me to stretch just a handful of shrimp to feed four as a side dish. Call me cheap, but hey it really works!

Cooking the shrimp separately from the eggs and makes them light and springy instead of being buried and heavy inside the egg.

1 In a bowl, combine the shrimp with the salt, cornstarch, sugar and 1 /₂ teaspoon of the sesame oil.

2 In a separate small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, water and remaining ¹/₂ teaspoon of sesame oil.

3 Set a wok or frying pan over high heat. When a bead of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact, add 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp to the wok, keeping them in one layer. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until cooked through. Dish the shrimp out onto a plate, keeping as much oil in the pan as possible.

4 Return the pan to medium-high heat and when hot add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and gently scramble and fry until the edges are firming up but the middle is still runny. Add the peas to the top of the eggs and continue to fry. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the eggs and when the eggs are set, turn off the heat. Dish onto the serving plate and spoon the cooked shrimp over the top. Sprinkle on the minced cilantro.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

¹/₄ lb (125 g) raw shrimp, cut in half lengthwise

Generous pinch of salt

¹/₂ teaspoon cornstarch

Pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon water

2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil, divided

4 eggs, beaten

¹/₂ cup (80 g) frozen or fresh peas

A few sprigs of fresh cilantro (coriander), minced

Asian Style Brussels Sprouts

Here’s an Asian take on Brussels sprouts that highlights the salty, sweet, spicy and slightly sour flavor combination that’s very typical of Vietnamese cooking. I’ve shredded them like cabbage and quickly stir-fried them in my wok. The Brussels sprouts still retain their fresh crunch and the Vietnamese seasonings really bring out the best of these little vegetables.

1 Trim the tough stalk end off the Brussels sprouts and thinly slice. You can also use a food processor with a shredder attachment to slice them if you’d like.

2 Set a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. When a bead of water sizzles upon contact and evaporates immediately, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the red onion and chilli slices and fry for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and fry another 30 seconds, taking care not to burn the garlic.

3 Add the Brussels sprouts and stir well to mix all the ingredients together. Spread the Brussels sprouts all over the surface of the wok to let it heat up and cook for 1 minute. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and salt and stir vigorously until all the seasonings are mixed throughout. The Brussels sprouts should be slightly soft at the leafy ends, but still retain a good crunch.

4 Taste and adjust with additional fish sauce if it needs a little more saltiness or a pinch more of sugar if the Brussels sprouts are slightly bitter.

SERVES 4 AS PART OF MULTICOURSE MEAL

1 lb (500 g) Brussels sprouts

1 ¹/₂ tablespoons high-heat cooking oil

¹/₂ red onion, thinly sliced

1 fresh chilli of your choice, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 ¹/₂ teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 ¹/₂ teaspoons fish sauce (substitute with 1 tablespoon soy sauce)

¹/₂ teaspoon sugar

Generous pinch of salt

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce and Roasted Garlic

I will choose Chinese broccoli (gai-lan) over regular broccoli any day! But you’ve gotta make sure that you’re getting fresh, young Chinese broccoli otherwise they can be tough and bitter. I’ve included tips (see facing page) on how to buy it.

As with many Chinese stir-fry dishes, the ginger in this dish is cut into ¹/₈-inch (3-mm) coins—the large pieces gently infuse the cooking oil and aren’t necessarily meant for eating. When we cook family-style, my Mom just leaves the ginger coins in the finished dish, and we just push them out of the way when we eat. You can remove them prior to serving if you’d like. The whole garlic also infuses the cooking oil and after roasting, it becomes soft and yummy sweet. Sometimes, I double the amount of garlic cloves because I just love eating them and they are the “treats” in the dish!

SERVES 4

1 lb (500 g) of Chinese broccoli (gai lan) (see More Options below)

¹/₄ cup (65 ml) store-bought or homemade Vegetable Stock (page 31)

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)

¹/₂ teaspoon sugar

1 ¹/₂ tablespoons high-heat cooking oil

5 to 8 whole garlic cloves, peeled and gently smashed but left intact

One 1-in (2.5-cm) piece fresh ginger, cut into ¹/₈-in (3-mm) coins and smashed with side of cleaver

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

¹/₂ teaspoon sesame oil

1 Wash the Chinese broccoli and trim 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the ends of the stalk and discard. In a small bowl, mix together the stock, wine and sugar and set aside.

2 Heat a wok or large sauté pan on medium-low heat. Add the cooking oil, and when the oil is just starting to get hot (the garlic should sizzle slightly upon contact), add the garlic cloves and ginger coins and let them fry until golden brown on all sides. Be careful not to burn them; you just want to brown them on all sides. This should take about 2 minutes.

3 Turn the heat to high then add the Chinese broccoli. Use your spatula to scoop up the oil so that every stalk has been bathed with the ginger and garlic–infused oil.

4 Pour the stock mixture into the wok and immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat to medium and let the vegetable steam for 3 to 4 minutes, until the stalks can be easily pierced with a paring knife or fork.

5 Remove the Chinese broccoli to a plate, leaving any remaining stock mixture in the wok. Pick out and discard the ginger coins. To the wok, add the oyster sauce and sesame oil and bubble and thicken on high heat for 1 minute. Pour the sauce mixture over the Chinese broccoli and serve.

More Options

You can use this same recipe to cook yu choy (Chinese spinach), bok choy or even regular broccoli. Just decrease your steam time to 2 minutes, as these are thinner vegetables.

 

TIP: HOW TO BUY CHINESE BROCCOLI
Chinese broccoli are sold in bunches, so select a bunch and look at the ends of the stalk. If they are dry, crusty and shriveled. Don’t buy it. The center of the stalk should be a creamy, milky, pale white, almost translucent color. If you see a dried, solid white circle in the middle of the stalk, it probably means the vegetable is a little old. It still could be good— look at the leaves and the buds for more clues to how fresh it is. The flower buds should be tight and compact—there should be buds and maybe just a couple of open flowers. The tiny tight buds are the most tender part of the broccoli, but lots and lots of open flowers means the stalk is older and past its prime for eating and it will be bitter and chewy. Why is this so important? If the Chinese broccoli is old, you’ll really taste the bitterness and the vegetable will be tough and stringy.

PO-PO’S LOVING GESTURES
Some of the most loving gestures of a Chinese mom are expressed at the dinner table. Growing up, our family was never really the kissy-kissy, “I love you”, emotionally expressive type. Sometimes it was because of the language barrier (my mom didn’t speak much English and my brother and I “lost” our Cantonese growing up in North Platte, Nebraska) and sometimes because the older Chinese culture’s expressions of love were more stiff and subdued. We are a much different family now. In the past few years, my brother and I have been able to really, deeply connect with our parents. We finally understand the hardship that our parents went through and the decisions that they made in the past . . . things that as children we so easily concluded, “that’s not fair” or “they don’t love me”. It’s such a comforting and belonging feeling to really see my mom, dad and brother as exactly who they are, cherishing all the wonderful love and accepting all their wonderful quirks. When we were little, my mom used to show her love every single night at the dinner table. Her chopsticks would quickly dart from dish to dish, picking out the best parts for my brother, my dad and me. The plump cheeks of the steamed fish, a perfect dark meat nugget from the soy sauce chicken, the giant red claw from the crab, the hidden fleck of salted fish, and the young tender flower buds from the Chinese “gai-lan” Broccoli. Now that I’m a mother of two little ones, I find myself doing the same thing, picking through the dish to find the best, most tender parts of each dish for my children. These days, “Po-Po’s” (grandmother) chopsticks go to grandchildren’s plates, not mine anymore. That’s the most loving gesture of a Chinese Po-Po.

FAR LEFT TOP TO BOTTOM: Oh yes, I do love my instant ramen! This was Nathan’s first experience of this treat. I was blowing the hot noodles for him; Andrew probably wondering where he can hide his scrambled eggs; Po-Po (grandmother in Cantonese) and the boys.