Tomato on omelet

This is also a classic Chinese dish. The sweet and sour taste of the tomato mixture goes really well with omelet. This is one of the Chinese dishes my husband likes.

Ingredients

4 eggs
1/2 clove minced garlic
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. Beat 4 eggs in a bowl. Heat oil in pan and pour egg mixture onto pan and make a omelet. Don't over cook the eggs. Ideally, it should be 90% cooked.

2. Heat oil in pan, and add in minced garlic.

3. Add tomato halves and brown sugar and cook until brown sugar dissolved.

4. Add rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine.

5. Taste, season with salt and pepper if necessary.

6. Pour the tomoto mixture on top of the omelet and garnish with green onions.

Miso minced pork with shiitake mushroom

This is my version of the Taiwanese style minced pork dish. I use miso paste instead of tau-pan jiang (Chinese soybean paste). It is yummy with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice.

Ingredients

1 lb minced pork
Vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons corn starch
2 teaspoons miso paste
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons cooking wine
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 shiitake mushrooms sliced (fresh or dried, if they are dried, soak them in water until soften


1. Mix ground pork with corn starch, miso paste, mirin, soy sauce, sugar.

2. Heat oil in pan and add ginger and garlic.

3. Add the minced pork mixture and stir to break up the lumps.

4. Add the shiitake mushroom, dark soy sauce and cooking wine when the minced pork if half-cooked.

5. Stir until minced pork is fully cooked, about 8-10 minutes.

6. Serve on a bowl of hot steamed rice.

Miso grilled tofu

This is a variation of tofu dengaku. Before smearing the tofu with the miso mixture, I pan fry the tofu instead of grilling it under the broiler. My daughter ate it. Well, she will eat anything with miso.

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu
Vegetable oil for frying
Corn starch for coating
Miso mixture
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon mirin
2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon cooking wine
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup miso (no MSG)

Toppings (optional)
Sesame seeds
Green onions
Nori flakes


1. Press out the excess liquid by weighing the tofu under a plate and a heavy object, eg a can of beans (30 minutes to an hour).

2. Cut tofu into 1/4 inch block, lightly coat with corn starch and pan fry both side for 3-4 minutes.

3. Smear s layer of miso mixture on top of the tofu and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the miso mixture is bubbling and has a few brown spots.

4. Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and nori flakes.

Chocolate cake with chocolate swirl

My children love chocolate, who doesn't? This is a simple chocolate cake that can be put together in 10 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup processed Dutch cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 white chocolate and milk chocolate mix


1. Preheat oven to 350˚F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

3. In another bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together, add the egg, and the yolk and vanilla.

4. Add in one third of the flour mixture and continue beating. Add in half the buttermilk. Alternate between flour and milk until all incorporated.

5. Transfer the batter into the baking dish. Microwave the white and milk chocolate chips for 30 seconds in the microwave. Use a fork and swirl the chocolate on to the top of the batter.

6. Bake in the oven until the cake tester comes out clean.

Claypot rice, the stainless steel version

I thought of buying the Emile-Henry flame top brassier just to make this dish. But I have too many pots already. I don't know how to sneak another pot into the kitchen without my husband finding out. So I try making the dish in my All-Clad 3-quart cassoulet. It is not bad, the bottom brown bits are the best.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts cubed

Marinate for chicken
4 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce (ketchup manis)
1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
2 clove garlic minced
1 inch ginger minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups jasmine rice
4 cups chicken stock
Chinese sausage
Dry shiitake mushroom, hydrated

1. Marinate the chicken for a least 2 hours.

2. Heat vegetable oil in pan. Add sliced Chinese sausages and fry until oil rendered from the sausages.

3. Add the chicken together with the marinade. Add the shiitake mushroom and jasmine rice. Stir to combine.

4. Add chicken stock and cook until the rice is done. Check periodically, you might have to add more chicken stock.

5. Taste the rice and adjust seasoning with salt.

Simple noodle

My daughter loves this dish, as long as she does not see the brown onion and garlic bits....

Ingredients
100g somen (wheat flour noodle)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small clove shallot, sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon of tamari
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
Salt to taste if necessary

Green onion and sesame seeds for garnish

1. Boil noodle according to the instruction on the package. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat oil in the same pan. Brown shallot and ginger. Add garlic when the shallot is light brown. Don't burn the garlic.

3. Turn of the heat. Add tamari, sugar, and rice vinegar.

4. Toss the noodle in the mixture and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

The whatever fried rice

Fried rice is easy. The two tricks are: use day old cooked rice and ginger. I use whatever vegetables there are in the fridge to make my fried rice. If there is chinese bbq pork, that's even better. If not, eggs will do for protein.

Ingredients

Canola oil
Sliced shallots
Minced ginger and garlic
Day old cooked rice
Chinese BBQ pork
Frozen peas and corn
Carrots shredded
Mushroom sliced
Tamari
Mirin
Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro and fried shallots as garnishes

1. Heat oil in wok. Lightly saute shallots, ginger and garlic.

2. Add BBQ pork and rice. Stir fry to break up the lumps in the rice.

3. Add a splash of mirin and tamari. Throw in the vegetables.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Garnish with fried shallots and cilantro.


To substitute BBQ pork with egg, just scramble an egg or two on the side and throw the eggs in together with the vegetables.