Ants on the tree - Fried Green bean noodle with ground pork at Szchuan style

Green bean noodles (aka vermicelli) are much used in Chinese cuisine, both as a side dish and a main course.  We use green bean noodles in spring rolls, vegetarian food, salads, soups, stir-fried food, steamed with seafood, etc.... They don't look charming, but they change flavor with their "host" on the plate. They have no cholesterol, low carbohydrates and low calories, and are very easy to keep because they are a dried food.  I really love green bean noodles.  I always keep some at home.  Here is a "main course" recipe for green bean noodles.

Ingredient :
1. Green bean noodle        3 pcs            Soaked in water for 20 minutes
2. Ground pork                  200 g
3. Garlic                            1 tbsp           finely chopped
4. Ginger                           1 tbsp           finely chopped
5. Scallion                         2 stem          diced
6. Rice wine                      2 tsp
7. Chili black bean sauce  1 tbsp
8. Ground white pepper    1/2 tsp
9. Sugar                             2 tsp
10. Water                           1/2 cup
11. Cooking oil                  1 tbsp

Optional seasoning : 
12. Szchuan pepper corn oil  1 tbsp        
Use 1 tbsp of oil to fry 1 tsp of Szechuan pepper corn at medium heat, stirring non-stop for 2 minutes.  Drain the oil, and throw away the Szechuan pepper corn.  Or you can just buy a bottle of Szechuan peppercorn oil at a Chinese grocery.

 13. Chinese celery            2 tbsp             finely chopped

Step by Step :

1. Prepare a wok on high heat, with 1 tbsp of cooking oil.  Put in the chopped garlic and ginger when the oil is hot.  Stir for 30 seconds. 

2. Put the ground pork in.  Stir until the pork changes color and is separated.  Put in half of the chopped scallions.  Stir for 30 seconds.

3. Put in the chili black bean sauce, ground white pepper, rice wine and sugar. Mix well and  pour water in the sauce.  Cook for 1 minute

4.  Add the green bean noodle to the meat sauce. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes.  Stir occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking to the wok. 

5.  When the sauce juice is a bit drier, sprinkle in the other half of the scallion,  and add chopped celery (optional) and Szechuan peppercorn oil (optional).  Serve.

Steam scallop with black bean sauce

 I will write more details in this recipe.  The material I am using might not be easy to find in your neighborhood, but in Chinatown or Asian grocery.  It is worthy to have them at home.  I will have more recipes later to tell you how to run out those Chinese materials.

Ingredient :

1. Green bean noodle (vermicelli)               1 bunch     soaking in the water 

                                                                                       for 20 minutes

It is easy to find in the Chinese grocery.  They have different sizes of package.  You can just buy the small package there.  Mine is big package since I use it a lot.  And it can be stored since it is dried noodle.  You can leave it at refrigerator or your pantry.

2. Scallop                  6 pcs                                 I usually cut the scallop into 2 to make it thinner. So it is easy to be steamed and is better size to eat.

3. Black bean               2 tbsp                            

It is the black bean soaking in the oil.  You can see the piece of piece of black bean in the jar.  I found a very good brand called "Master" (狀元）at Chinese Grocery.  But if you can't find this brand, other would be OK, too.  It is not spicy.

4. Scallion          2 stem          Separate to "white part" and "green part".   

                                                Shredded the white part. Diced the green part.

5.  Garlic            2 tsp             Chopped it finely.

6. Coriander       1/2 handful   Wash and dry them.  Roughly chopped.

7. Soy sauce       1 1/2  tbsp       

8. Sugar              1/2     tsp

9. Water             2 tsp

How To :

1. Mix the Black bean, diced scallion, chopped garlic, sugar on a bowl.  

2. Take the soaking green bean noodle out from water. And shake out the water.  Put it on a plate. 

3. Put the scallops on the top of green bean noodle.

4. Scoop the mixing sauce on the top of scallops. 

 5. Mix soy sauce, water and spread it evenly to the plate.

6. Prepare a big wok with half wok of water.  Leave the steam rack on the water.  When the water is boil, put the plate on the rack and cover the wok.  If you have steamer, use it.  I use it because my plates are pretty big, and I don't have bigger steamer.

 7. Steam it for about 10 minutes.

 8. Prepare a pan, pour oil on it and big heat.  The oil must be very hot.

 9. Take the steamed scallops plate out (please used gloves since it is a hot plate).  Spread the shredded scallion and coriander on the scallops.  And pour the hot oil on scallion and coriander.

 The scallops is tender and with sweet salty black bean sauce.  The green bean noodle has absorbed all the juice of soy sauce, black bean and scallops.  It is great combination and you will love this dish.

Smoked salmon with spinach salad, Thai lemongrass dressing

Ingredient and how to :
Spinach  leaves          100 g
Smoke salmon             10 pcs
Lemon grass                  1 stem  Cut off the top, about half of stem and 1cm of bottom.  Peel the first layer of skin out.  When you see the white and tender part, you can chop it small pieces
Fish sauce                      2 tsps
Lemon                            1 1/2 pc  Squeeze the juice
Sugar                              2 tsps
Coriander                        2 tbsp
Chili podwer                    1 tsp

Step by Step :
1. Prepare a serving tray or plate, put the spinach leaves (has been washed and dried with salad spinner) on the tray or plate.  And then, put the salmon on the top of spinach.

2. For the dressing : prepare a bowl.  Put the chopped lemon grass, fish sauce, sugar, lemon juice, chili podwer and chopped coriander together.  And use spoon to mix them well.  Put the dressing evenly on the top of salmon.

Salad combination : Crab meat, avocado and tomatoes

Ingredient and how to make it :


1. Crab meat salad
    Cooked crab meat                 1 cup     you can buy the cooked crab meat at
                                                                seafood store
    Low fat mayonnaise              2 tbsp
    Dijon Mustard                       1/2  tsp 
    Olive oil                                 2 tsps
    Salt and Pepper                     to taste
    Flat Parsley                           1 tbsp    chopped

 2. Avocado        1 pc       peeled and chopped
    Lemon juice   1 pc       squeeze the juice out
    Sugar             1 tsp    





3.

Cherry tomatoes      10 pcs   roughly chopped
Spanish green olive   8 pcs    pitted and
                                               chopped 
Basil leaves               5 pcs    wash and
                                               chopped
Balsamic vinegar       1 tsp
Sugar                         1 tsp   


*** Mix above salad in different bowls.  Set aside.

4. Prepare a square or round "mold".

5. The bottom layer is tomatoes salad, middle layer is avocado salad and top layer is crab meat salad.  Garnish by coriander leaves.

 6. I serve this dish with "soft york egg", "roasted potatoes" and "cooked barley with chicken broth".
                           

Brussel Sprouts - Oven roasted

Ingredient :

1. Brussels Sprouts           1 lbs            wash and halve
2. Dried cranberry             1/2 cups
3. Pancetta                        2 tbsp  
4. Pine nuts                       2 tbsp           toasted
5. Salt                                a bit to taste
6. Ground black pepper    a bit to taste
7. Olive oil                        2 tbsp

Step by step :
1. Preheat oven at 400 F

2. Prepare a pan, medium heat.  Fried pancetta without oil.  The oil of pancetta will be released.  When it fries to crispy, move the pancetta to a paper towel for removing the excess oil.





3. Wash the brussel sprouts. Cut a bit on the bottom of sprouts, take out the dirty and ugly leaves. Halve the sprouts.  Prepare a roasted plate.  Put the halve sprouts on the plate.  Pour the olive oil and mix with sprouts well.  Make sure each sprouts will be coated with oil and the cutting side down on the plate. Move the plate to the oven.  Roasted for 30 minutes until the leaves a bit crispy and brown.

 

 4. Prepare a mixing bowl.  Combine pancetta, dried cranberry, salt, pepper on the bowl.  Mix well.

5. When the brussel sprouts are ready.....

 6. Put them to the mixing bowl and mix well. 

 7. I serve this dish with Rissottos of Porcini mushroom. 

Spinach Fritter

For 4 people

Ingredient :
1. Spinach leaves                                   200 g
2. Pancetta (Italian style bacon)             2     tbsp     cut to small pieces
3. Egg                                                     2     pcs    
4. All purpose flour                                1     tbsp
5. Baking soda                                       1/4   tsp
6. Salt                                                     1/8   tsp
7. Ground white pepper                         1/8   tsp

Step by Step :

 1. Prepare a frying pan.  Medium heat without oil.  Put the pancetta and fry the grease out about 5 minutes.  Leave the fried pancetta on the paper towel for removing the excess oil.

 2. Boil a pot of water, place the spinach leaves in the boiling water for 1 minute.  Drain the water and squeeze the water out from spinach as much as you can.

 3. Chopped the spinach.

 4. Prepare a big bowl, beat the eggs.  And put the chopped spinach, pancetta, salt, white pepper, flour and baking soda.  Mix them well.

 5. Prepare a frying pan with medium heat.  Put a thin layer of oil on the pan.  Pour the fritter mixture on the pan.  Pan fry the first side for about 2 minutes, and change another side for 2 more minutes.

6. Cut them to 8 pieces and serve.







We have it as brunch today.  It contains vegetable and protein.  You can always substitute the pancetta to bacon.  Or without it if you are vegetarian.  

Shrimp salad with lemon dressing

This dish is inspired by Thai cooking.  But I didn't put lemon grass or red chili paste with this dish.  I love sweet and sour sauce.  And it is perfect to eat during the hot summer day.  Allow 2 hours to cool this dish before serving.

Ingredient :
1. Shrimp                 1        lbs         peeled and deveined
2. Lemond               1 1/2  pcs     
3. Sugar                   1 1/2  tbsp
4. Chili podwer        2         tsp
5. Sweet pepper       1        pc          julienne
6. Celery                  1        stem      julienne
7. Mint leaves          5       pcs         roughly cut
8. Olive oil               1        tbsp

How to make it :
1. Peeled the shrimp and de-veined.
2. Prepare a pot with water.  Heat to boil.  Put the shrimp to the boiling water for 2 minutes.  Drain it and put the cooked shrimp under the running cold water.  Cold them down.
3. Prepare a big bowl.  Put the lemon juice, sugar.  Use the whisker to mix them until the sugar dissolved.  
4. Add the shrimp, sweet pepper (I used yellow, red and orange peppers), celery, mint leaves, chili pepper and olive oil together.  Mix them well.
5. Put the dish to refrigerator for 2 hours.  Serve as cold dish.