Stir Fry Bitter Gourd With Salted Eggs

One of my favorite bitter melon dish and opt to order this dish in local Hakka Taiwanese Restaurant. This recipe is easy to cook and not bitter at all and is coated well with salted eggs that made it so tasty and very nutritious too.

Ingredients:
300g white bitter gourd/melon, cut into slices
2 garlic cloves, chopped coarsely
1 long red chili, sliced
1 spring onion, chopped
2 salted duck eggs, chopped coarsely or mashed into smaller pieces
grape seed oil or cooking oil
salt

Preparations:

1. Place a pot of water on the stove to boil. When water starts boiling, place the bitter gourd melon into the boiling water. Let them sit in the water for about 4 minutes.

2. Meanwhile; Heat up 2-3 tablespoon of oil in a wok pan. Saute the garlic, chili then follow by the spring onion and fry until aromatic but not brown.

3. Remove the gourd from the pot or scoop them out of the boiling water.

4. Add the bitter gourd immediately and stir-fry or shake the pan for a seconds. 

5. Then add the eggs and stir for another seconds. Then add around 5 tablespoon of hot boiling water from the pot that you blanched your bitter gourd. Season with salt if desired.

6. Add more 1 tablespoon of cooking oil if desired, continue to stir-fry for 1–2 minutes. Dish up and serve. If you prefer a softer bitter gourd, simmer the dish for a few more minutes.

Hakka Style Stir Fry Green Fern

As you probably all know, hart's tongue fern or bird’s nest fern is a wild plant. It can be found growing on the trees by the roadside, or in forested areas in countries. And we might think it is strange and not fit to eat!. I even grow this plant on my own balcony. But this plant is very popular in many  Taiwanese Hakka restaurants. It taste delicious and it has health benefit. I love ordering and eating this we called vegetable here in Taiwan in many Hakka restaurants. So I try to cook at home for my lunch, it was really good! So tomorrow guys its Earth Day try to cook this green in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
200g hart's tongue fern, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 red chili, sliced
1 tbsp shredded ginger
1 tbsp small silver dried anchovy
1 tbsp dried preserved salted black beans
1 tbsp small dried Chinese red dates or goji berries soaked in water then drain.

7 tbsp water
2-3 tbsp green seed or vegetable oil
salt to taste
Preparation:

1. Wash the fern and drain in colander. Heat oil in wok over medium heat. Add the garlic, dried fish,  ginger, goji berries and chili. Fry until the fish cook lightly brown. Then add dried bean and fry until fragrant.

2. Add the green fern increase heat to high, immediately.

3. Stir fry for 2 minutes or more until semi-soft or until leaves start to wilt. You might need to add more water to prevent drying the bottom of the wok pan.

4. Season with salt for extra taste if desire. Remove from the heat, dish up and serve with rice.

Hakka Style Stir Fry Eggplant

This Taiwanese Hakka style stir-fry eggplants (九層塔茄子) with pork and basil it taste better than what I get at the Chinese Restaurant. We enjoyed this dish quite a bit during we dine in a Hakka Restaurant in Neiwan. It was very rich and flavorful. Deep frying the eggplant will help a quick stir and cooking time consume and it keep the skin of the eggplant a bright purple colour.
Ingredients:
3-4cups tea polyphenol grapessed oil, or any cooking oil
400g long eggplant, slice and cut diagonally
3 garlic cloves, chopped coarsely
45g spring onion, sliced lengthwise
150g ground pork
15g asean basil leaves
1 red chili pepper, seeded and chopped coarsely
1 tbsp pickle soy bean
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
½ tbsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp water
Preparation:

1. At first combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, sugar, sesame oil, water and stir to dissolve the sugar.

2. Heat oil to medium heat in a deep fryer. Soak or blanch eggplant in oil for 2 minutes.

3. Then drain well and discard the heavy oil.

4. Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high flame. Add the 2 tbsp grapeseed oil or vegetable oil, saute garlic until fragrant, add the ground pork and sir fry until cooked through.

5. Add the spring onions and stir for a few seconds.

6. Then add the pickle soy bean, then give a quick stir.

7. Add the eggplant and basil continue to stir for a few seconds. Pour the sauce mixture into the wok, tossing quickly, until the sauce is absorbed.

8. Stir in chili and season with a little bit of msg if desired, turn off the gas. Transfer to a warmed serving dish and garnish with the fresh basil leaves, if desired. Serve immediately with hot steaming plain rice.

薑絲大腸 Stir-Fry Pig Intestine with Ginger & Vinegar

I always order this dish when we dine in a Hakka restaurant in Beipu or Neiwan and Miaoli. I normally order this stir fry pig intestines almost twice a month at Inner Bay Tea House-內灣茶堂 in Neiwan. Seems like I've never get bored to order this dish on our table. So one day, I tried to prepare this delicious Hakka Taiwanese dishes in my kitchen and it came quite similar in a restaurant. This pig intestine is boil in a water and sliced then stir fry and cooked with shredded ginger, vinegar and preserved vegetable. You either like it or hate it and definitely not your cup of tea. For me it was dead and simple but delicious.
Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
415g prepared and clean pig intestine,
6 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup rice vinegar
4 tbsp chinese black vinegar
60g ginger, peel and shred
300g mustard green sour, shred
2 tbsp pickle soy bean sauce
1 chili, thinly sliced
Preparation:

1. Boil pig intestine in water and simmer until they're tender, remove from the boiling water, let it cool for a couple of minutes then cut into chunks, set aside

2. Heat the wok over medium to high heat. Add oil, when the oil is hot, add garlic stir-fry until it turns brown, then add the ginger and stir fry until aromatic.

3. Add the intestine then stir.

4. Add the mustard green sour and stir fry for a couple seconds. Then follow by rice and black vinegar, stir-fry briefly.

5. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until it turns cooked.

6. Add the soybean to the wok, stir fry and bring boil for another 2 minutes.

7. Season with salt and msg if desired to make it more tasty. Remove from the heat and serve while still hot. For an added touch, try garnishing with sliced chili before serving.

Steamed Cod With Pickle Bird Lime Tree

Delicate healthy dish and this is a basic and common Chinese steamed fish. The Taiwanes pickle bird lime tree makes a good match with the fish. This recipe is really quick and easy to prepare it has similar result served in local food restaurants in Taiwan. Serve over white rice, using some of the sauce.
Ingredients:

600g clean black cod a.k.a sablefish, or used any white fish fillet.

2 tbsp thick sweet soy sauce

½ tbsp sugar
½ tbsp aroma sesame oil

1 tbsp rice wine

1 red chili, seeded and sliced

2-3 spring onions,  shred

4 tbsp pickle lime bird tree or manjack tree

Preparation:

1.  Add enough water to the wok then place a stainless steel steamer or bamboo steamer, bring to the boil in high heat. In a bowl combine soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar and mix well. Place the fish in conventional ceramic plate. Add the sauce mixture, arrange the spring onion and lime bird tree on top of the fish.

2. Then add the chili.

3. Place the plate over boiling water.

4. Cover and steam for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. The fish steams in its own juices so you retain all of that flavor.

5. When ready, take the steamed fish out of the steamer. Drizzle some sesame oil over the fish then serve and dig in  while is hot!

Fried Eggs With Spring Onion

Simple Taiwanese style omelet and a very popular one. It only takes a few minutes and adds a great savory to go along with steamed rice or congee. You can also cooked this dish with dry salted radish.

Ingredients:
7 free range eggs
120g spring onion, coarsely chopped
salt
5-6 tbsp vegetable oil
Preparation:

1. Crack the eggs into a glass mixing bowl and beat them until they are frothy. Stir in spring onion, season with salt.

2. Heat a heavy nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the oil into the pan. When the oil is hot enough. Gently pour in the eggs, reduce the heat to low. Let the eggs cook for up to a minute or until the bottom is puffed or starts to set.

3. Using turner, gently stir the pan to allow the still liquid egg mixture to flow in underneath. Flip the omelet once or twice,  Continue to fry it until inside is done and both sides are browned but still moist and soft. Transfer to a plate when the eggs are set, drizzle a litte bit soy sauce if desired and served with steamed rice.

coarsely slice

Deep Fry Crispy Wasabi Mushroom

This deep fry mushrooms in wasabi flavor inspired me one of our favorite snack can be found in street food markets in Taiwan. They make a great appetizer and irresistible snack. Fried mushrooms should be served immediately for the best taste. 
Ingredients:
600g white long mushrooms
wasabi powder
1½  cup cornstarch
½  tbsp white ground pepper
pinch of salt
½ tsp wasabi paste
grapeseed oil or any cooking oil, except olive and sesame oil
nanami togarashi
Preparation:

1. Using your hands, mix the cornstarch, ground pepper, salt, wasabi paste and 1 tbsp wasabi powder into a bowl. Then heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Test to see if oil is hot by frying a wooden chopstick into the oil. If the oil starts steadily bubbling, then the oil is hot enough for frying.

2. Wash the mushrooms then drain the water. Coat and toss mushrooms with cornstarch mixture.

3. Working in batches so they are not crowded, fry mushrooms for about 5 minutes per batch until they are crisp and golden brown.

4. Each time you remove a batch from the oil then transfer the fried mushrooms to a mixing bowl with paper towel to soak excess oil. Sprinkle a wasabi powder and nanami togarashi while still warm. More salt and ground white pepper may be added to mushrooms for your taste. When finished, pile onto a serving platter and serve!