Steamed Scallop with Mung Bean Vermicelli (蒸鲜贝粉丝)

Long story cut short, I am in a hurry, just wanted to share this recipe really quick! This is one of my favorite dishes whenever I dine in seafood restaurant. I couldn't get the small fresh scallop with shell here. So, made it with the giant scallops just to satisfy my crave. :-p




1. 280g scallop (about 6pcs)
2. 30g or as needed mung bean vermicelli
3. Sauce :
i. 2~3 cloves of garlic
ii. 2~3 ginger slice
iii.2~3 chili padi
(finely chop # i~iii)
iv) 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
v) 1/2~1tsp tsp soy sauce or to taste
vi) 2~3 tbsp water (add more if extra mung bean vermicelli is used)

4. Garnishing
i. 1 tsp shao xin wine (optional)
ii. 1 tsp garlic oil
iii. green onion and cilantro
iv. crispy garlic (蒜油酥)

Steps :
1. Boil the water in the steaming pot/pan.
2. Arrange the scallops on a bed of mung bean vermicelli in a steaming dish
3. Mix well all the ingredients # 3, and pour into the scallops.
4. Steam in high heat for 8~10 minutes.
5. Before remove from heat, add in garnishing ingredients # 4.
6. Serve warm.

My Messy Garden 2

It is time to update how is my very first vegetable garden going on. Bad news and good news. The bad one is about 20 of my pumpkin were killed by a pile of bugs, we didn't know what kind of bug was that, but, there were too much of them just covered up the whole patch of pumpkin and killed it.

The good news is we have about 7~9 water melon growing now!!! And more winter melon too. Yay!!!! Tomatoes are growing out there, that was accidentally planted from the seeds in the compost made from vegetable scraps and egg shells.

More pictures here!!

Tomato


Rosemary


Jalapeno pepper


Water Melon


Winter Melon - harvest soon. The size is perfect for me to make 冬瓜盅

Grilled Chicken Calzone

Tired of pizza? Lets try some calzones! It is an Italian turnover made from pizza dough stuffed with fillings like cheese, ham, vegetables or other varieties of ingredients. I had my first calzone many years ago, it was stuffed with baby spinach and cheese. I liked it so much but didn't know what was it called because back at that time, I was still very new to western meals.



I described what it looked like to Tom recently and he told me it is "calzone". I immediately checked it out from wikipedia and found that it is quite simple to make.
Since I had some leftover canjun style grilled chicken, I decided to make some grilled chicken calzone with my pizza dough recipe. It turned out great. :-)



Here are the ingredients and steps :

1. 1 Pizza dough cut to 4 portions (please click here for pizza dough recipe)

2. Filling (according to your preference)
a) Canjun grilled chicken - cubed
b) Grilled green pepper and onion - sliced or cubed
c) some shredded cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese
d) pizza sauce
e) some black pepper
f) some butter
g) some Parmesan cheese powder

Steps :

1. Pre-heat the oven at 450F
2. On the floured surface, roll each portion of the pizza dough to approx. 6" circle.
3. Spread about 1.5 tbsp pizza sauce on the half circle, leave about 1/3 edge.
4. Add in chicken, pepper,onion slices shredded cheeses, sprinkle some black pepper.
5. Fold dough over filling to form a half moon shape.
6. Seal the edge with a fork.
7. Baked in preheated oven for 30~35 minutes or until it turns golden brown.
8. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese when serve (optional)

Dong Gui (Angelica sinensis) Chicken Soup

I am being overloaded - feel really exhausted. I am working a few extra hours per day for the past 2 weeks(wanna save some flexible vacation hours for my days off to go back to Penang at the end of Nov.) I need some energy enhancement food - tadahhhhh -I need some energy enhancement food - tadahhhhh - Dong Gui (Angelica Sinensis) Chicken Soup. I didn't put too much Dong Gui as I wasn't sure Tom would like it or not, fortunately, that was not too hard for him to accept it.

Here's my very simple energy soup.

1. 12g Dong Gui slices (add more if you like it tasted stronger)

2. 1lbs chicken (I used drum sticks as they were available in my fridge)
3. 500ml water.
4. 3~4 dried dates - un-pitted
5. Some wolfberry
6. Few slice of Yok Chuk (Polygonatum odoratum) - optional
6. Salt to taste

1. Gather everything except salt into a double boil dish.

2. Cook for 3~4 hours.
3. When done cooking, skim the excessive oil if necessary.

3. Season with salt before serve.

Oriental Grilled Mushroom

It looked ugly, but YUMMY! :-p

It seems like busy moment is never ending. Another week gone, and going to be end of month closing again....., I feel like time flies fast like rocket now!

Fast and easy meal is my priority now. I am still trying my best not to consume too much canned or frozen food. So, I still maintain cooking from fresh produce, but make it really simple. For example, I will marinate the meat or seafood at night, then I don't have to spend too much time on the food preparation when I'm tired from work.



This grilled mushroom was accidentally invented. I had some mushrooms sitting in the fridge needed to finish ASAP before they go bad. While I was going to grill some chicken kabob the other day, I was searching some vegetables in my fridge to put on my grill too, I found I had nothing left but just mushroom. So, I immediately marinated them with some soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and garlic, they tasted so good that was beyond my expectation, Tom even demands more.

A)
1. 230g whole mushroom - remove the stem

B)
2 cloves garlic - sliced
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
few drops of sesame oil and garlic oil
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of white pepper

some pre-soaked BBQ skewer
some green onion strips and garlic slices to skew together with mushroom

1. Rub and marinate the mushroom with sauce B for 30 minutes or longer for better flavor.
2. Skew 4~5 mushroom per stick with onion strip and garlic slice as a spacer in between.
3. Grill on medium heat for 4~5 minutes each side. Brush the remain marination sauce once each side.
4. Serve warm

2009 Summer Camping

I like this picture very much. It was taken at Sunset Crater - where we camped in July. It is a pine tree after being hit by lighting.

Wonder where have I been recently? I am taking a break for my cooking adventures as I am stuck by too many errands and events since the middle of August. I volunteered for the fund raising program at the Asian supermarket here for the victims of Typhoon Marakot in Taiwan for 2 weekends, then helping in Tzu Chi Chinese classes with administration work, then camped at Greer in last weekend, followed by our best friends' wedding this weekend, then training class next weekend... Ooooh Gosh!! I wish I could have 48 hours a day.

We were exhausted from the 3 day camping trip at Greer last weekend. My legs are still sore from the hiking :-p. This hike took us up to the summit of Arizona's third highest mountain - Escudilla Mountain - 10,912ft - an inactive volcanic mountain. We really enjoyed the beauty of the nature, got the see how amazing the climate can change the environment. Along the way to the summit of Escudilla, we passed through 2 different forests - Aspen then Pine and also a lot of unknown wild plants and flowers.

Tom set up our tent.


I would like to share some pictures of our adventure in this post. Some of them are from our camping in Sunset Crater in July. Sunset Crater Volcano was born in a series of eruptions between the years 1040~1100. Although it has been almost 1000 years, the lava flows and cider fields still look fresh. We got the chance to walk through the lava flows and ciders fields. It is pretty amazing.

So, today will be no food pictures, all are the beauty of nature. I like those wild flowers the most.

Sunset Crater, endless volcano lava flow..


On the cinder and lava flow.


1

Lichens



Native American Ruins




Cowboys Roping Calves in competition.

Aspen leaf, Aspen trees.




Wild flowers

SUSHI : Dragon Roll (Unagi Roll) and Spicy Shrimp Roll

Irashaimase!!! Konbanwa!!! Ogenki desu ka???? My first homemade sushi!!! Will post the recipe soon!! I am in the hurry and extremely hungry now!!!! Too many errands!!!! Busy! Busy! Busy!!!! Be patient with me ya!!! Sumimasen!!! Domo arigatoooooo!!!!


Dragon (Unagi) Roll!!

P/S : Don't be fooled by me, I dont speak Japanese, the above are the only Japanese words I know!! :-p