Icy Espresso Granita for Summer.

This is better than the ice cream, and it's lighter!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups strong coffee, warmed up
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
• some whipped cream or use the light whipped topping to save 50 calories
• 1/2 cup shaved dark chocolate (I like 75% and above)

Directions:

1. Add the sugar into coffee and stir to  dissolve it. Pour the mixture into a shallow metal baking pan, about one inch deep, and place in freezer.
2. After 18 to 20 min when the mixture just starts to freeze, Take out and use a fork to scrape and turn the ice. Break up the ice when you scrape can make the texture and mouthfeel fine and smoother. Repeat freeze and scrape/turn every 30 min until it's frozen through.
3. To serve, use a tall glass or wine glass. Layer a scoop of the granita ice with whipped cream and some chocolate shavings and repeat a second time for another set of granita, cream, chocolate layers.
4. Enjoy.

Note:

Whip your own fresh cream isn't hard at all. It tastes better and it is healthier than that from a can.

Crispy Apple Turnover.

I love a nicely baked turnover that contrasts in the texture between the crisp layers of crust and the creamy, soft, oozy, and warm filling, especially when it just got out of the oven.

Ingredients (yield 6 servings):

• loose flour to keep pastry sheet from sticking
• 3 granny smith apples, peeled and remove core
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted but chilled in refrigerator
• 1 cup water
• 1/3~1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• lemon juice form one lemon

Directions:

1. Flour a working surface and roll the puff pastry into a 9-inch x 15-inch retangle. Cut the pastry into 6 squares equally. Refrigerated until ready to use.
2. Cut apples into half inch chunks.
3. Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add apple chunks, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and lemon juice to sugar water and simmer until apple chunks soften and the syrup thickens, about 5~7 min. Set aside to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 425F. When the apple filling cools, put 2 to 3 tablespoons of apple mixture onto the puff pastry squares toward one end. Fold up over the filling to make a triangle and pinch the edges to seal. Press with the tips of a fork to mark creases.
5. Transfer the turnovers onto a baking sheet. Brush with the egg white. Bake 12 to 15 min until the dough is crispy and golden brown.

Strawberry Shortcake.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of butter (optional, or use olive oil)
• 4 wedges of angel food cake, 1-inch thick
• some whipped cream 

Directions:

1. Mix the strawberries, vinegar, and pepper. Let it macerate for 10 min.
2. Heat up a grill or stovetop pan. Add the butter or olive oil. Grill the cake slices and cook until caramelized and browned. 
3. Transfer to dessert plates, top with strawberries, the liquid. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

Note:

We cut back the ice cream, brownies and molten chocolate that often crank up quite a lot of calories as often done in most restaurants, and make it much lighter!

Easy Barbecue Baby Back Ribs.

You can bake this in the oven or cook it on the grill.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 full racks baby back pork ribs (about 5 to 6 pounds)
• 2~3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce or (Check my barbecue sauce)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except the ribs in a mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Remove the thin membrane on the bony side of the ribs. You can flip to bone-side up and start from the end. Slip the tip of boning knife (or small paring knife) between the white tissue and the bone and cut through to the other end. If it's slippery, use the paper towel to help grip the membrane. Pull it towards the other end to remove it.
3. Cut 1 rack in 2 or 3 pieces crosswise and place the pieces on a sheet of foil.
4. Spread the dry rub and press the spice in. Pick up the foil ends and make a enclosed pouch to
   
   wrap up the ribs. Place all the pouches in a container and cover tightly with more foils. Put in the refrigerator and let the spice infuse overnight, up to 2 days for best flavor and texture.
5. Preheat the oven to 325~350F. Place the rack in the middle position.
6. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and sit 20-40 min at room temperature.
7. Bake the ribs in the oven for 2 hours until fork-tender. 
8. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.

My Barbecue Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup light or dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.Whisk occasionally. 
2. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer. Cook until the flavors have melded and the sauce has reduced to about 2 cups, about 30 to 40 minutes. Whisk occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

My Warming Goji Tea.

This is a drink I have on regular basis.

Ingredients (yield one serving):

• 2~3 dried longan ( I use those with shells. See picture below.)
• 2 tsp dried goji berries
• 3 jujube (also called "red dates")
• 2~3 slices of dried Astragalus root ( 黄芪 Huang Qi in Chinese) 
• 1 1/2 cups water if soaking or 2 cups if cooking
• (optional) some honey or sugar 

Directions:

Soaking Method:

1. Rinse the dried longan, jujube, dried Astragalus root and goji with water. Crack open the longan and remove the shells. Some people slice jujubes but I usually don't.
2. Use boiling water for the last rinse. Drain well.
3. Use boiling water to rinse thermos flask. Put in all ingredients and pour in 1 1/2 cup boiling water. Tightly close the cap. Let it rest at least 3 hours. Serve.

Cooking Method:

1. Rinse the ingredients well. Remove shells from longan.
2. Add all ingredients with 2 cups of water and simmer 30 min. Serve.

Notes：
It wakes you up in the morning and helps you sleep well at night, so try having it before bedtime as well.



You can mix and match with fewer ingredients, such as:

• Goji berry tea: Use just goji berries. This recipe promotes calming, relaxing, reducing eye strain.
• Longan tea: Use just longan. This recipe promotes calming and warming effect.
• Jujube and longan tea: Use jujube and longan. This recipe promotes better circulation and warming effect.
• Jujube and huang qi (Astragalus root) tea: This recipe helps our immune system to function better.
• Jujube, goji berry, huang qi (Astragalus root) tea: This recipe promotes calming, relaxing, warming and helps our immune system to function better.

For more information about Chinese Herbs ...

Grilled Barbecued Spareribs.

Ingredients:

For Dry Rub

• 1-2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon paprika ( I like sweet paprika, you may like smoked paprika.)
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 tablespoon table salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-2 teaspoon chili powder (depends on your heat level preference!)

For Ribs

• 1 cup hickory wood chips
• 2 racks St. Louis-style spareribs (about 2-3 pounds each)
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 cup apple juice

Directions:

1. Trim the fat and thin membrane off the ribs. 
2. Combine the ingredients in dry rub in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the rub on both sides of each rib. Rub and press into the ribs. Put in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
3. Soak the wood chips in water for 30 mins and drain.
4. Combine the vinegar and apple juice in a bowl and set aside.
5. Prepare the grill. Put the charcoal briquettes on one side and place a disposable aluminum pan with 1 inch of water on the other side of the grill. Light up the coals in chimney starter and allow them to burn until they are coated with ash. About 10-20 min. 
6. Transfer the hot coals into the grill on top of the unlit briquettes. Sprinkle the soaked wood chips over the coals (or place them in an aluminum pouch and poke holes all over.)
7. Set the cooking grate and cover the grill to heat up the grate, about 5 min. Scrape the grate clean.
8. Place the ribs, meat side down on the hot grate, on the side over the water pan. Cover the grill and open the top vent to draw smoke through the grill. Cook for 45-50 min. Adjust the vents to keep the grill at around 250-275F. Flip the ribs meat side up and turn 180F to cook evenly. Switch rib positions too. Brush each rib with 3 tablespoon of the apple juice mixture. 
9. Cover the grill and cook another 40-45 min. 
10. Preheat oven to 300F. The oven rack should be in the middle position.
11. Transfer the ribs to a wire rack on a baking sheet wth meat side up. Pour 2 cups water into bottom of the baking sheet. 
12. Brush the top of each rack (meaty side) with 3 tablespoon apple juice mixture and roast in the 300F oven for 1 hour. 
13. Brush the ribs with remaining apple juice mixture and continue to roast until it's tender (but not falling off the bone). The thicker part of the rib should register around 195-200F on a thermometer.
14. Transfer the ribs to a carving board, tent with foil to keep warm. Let it rest for 15-20 min.
15. Cut the ribs between the bones and serve.

Enjoy!

Tofu Tips and Types.

Tofu types are usually categorized by texture, which depends on how much liquid are left in it after being pressed.

Silken (soft,medium or firm) – 

Made without pressing out the liquid. It is very moist and has the smoothest, custard-like texture and is best served out of container without cooking. However, you can use it in dishes like hot pot, soup or you can deep fry it to contrast the uniquely silky texture with crunchiness from other parts of the dish. You can also use it to blend up a smoothie so it helps to thicken up the drink, rather than using soy milk.

Soft Block Tofu –
A bit firmer than silken tofu but softer than Firm tofu. Can be used in soup, stew or even stir fry dish. It holds up better in stew dish as Silken tofu is too soft for that.
Medium – Good for stew, stir fry. It contain less liquid than soft tofu.
Firm – Good for stew, stir fry, or braising dishes. It is pressed to contain even less liquid.

Extra firm – 

The firmest you can get in the grocery market.

Egg tofu – 

Made from egg and soy milk. Check out my recipe for Egg Tofu Recipe.

Tofu By-Products:

Tofu Skin (Yuba in Japanese) – 

During the boiling of soy milk in an open shallow pan, a film or skin forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin. It has many applications in Asian cuisine.

Abura-age

Aburaage (油揚げ ) – 

Japanese food product by cutting tofu into thin slices and deep fry first at 110–120 °C, and then again at 180–200 °C. Aburaage is often used to wrapinari-sushi (稲荷寿司), and is added to miso soup or udon noodle dishes. There is a thicker variety known as atsu-age (厚揚げ) or nama-age (生揚げ) and both can be found in many Asian grocery store.

Atsu-age

Bean Curd – 

Plain or five spice bean curd.

Tofu Tips:

To make mashed tofu – Boil Tofu in salted water for 1 min. Strain and press through a fine-mesh strainer with a spoon. You can get rid of extra liquid by putting the tofu in cheese clothes and press out the excessive liquid with both hands.

Check out my Tofu Recipes.

Ikura (Salmon Roe) Sushi

Ingredients:

• 50g Ikura (Salmon roe or salmon caviar)
• one bowl of steamed sushi rice
• 1 sheet nori (dried seaweed), cut into 1 1/2 inch strips

Directions:

1. Toast the dried seaweed slightly just to make it aromatic but not burnt.
2. Wrap it around the rice and top with Ikura.

Note: You can use boiled spinach,  boiled Japanese garlic chives or fresh shiso leaves as the wrapper, instead of nori.

Scallop and Uni (Sea Urchin)

Ingredients:

• one sushi grade scallop raw
• 2 slices of sea urchin
• 10g daikon shreds
• slices of lemon for soaking and garnish
• some shredded seaweed (nori) for garnish
• some cucumber for garnish

Directions:

1. Remove scallop from shells if needed. Soak in ice water with 5-6 lemon slices for 3 min.
2. Fish out the scallop and wipe dry. 
3. If the sea urchin is from the shell, also soak in ice water with lemon slices as step 1 and remove after 3 min, pat dry.
4. Plate with garnishing items. Serve with low-sodium soy sauce.

Note:

1. For delicate seafood, don't use soy sauce that is too heavy in saltiness or it will overpower the natural flavor from the ingredients. The seafood can be taken with the shiso leaves as a contrast in texture and taste.
2. The same method applies to any combination of sashimi fish. If you purchase the whole fish and cut off the sashimi fillet yourself and slice it thinly, make sure to soak the slices in ice water for 30 min. If you do not consume the sashimi immediately, add ice cubes to the sashimi and keep it refrigerated. However, it should not be left overnight for the best flavor and freshness.

Abalone

Ingredients:

• one abalone in shell or use canned abalone
• daikon shreds
• 1-2 shiso leaves
• 1-2g wakame seaweed
• 1-2 slices of Japanese cucumber

Directions:

1. If the abalone is raw from the shell, wash thoroughly with salt.
2. Cut the abalone into thin slices and cover with cheesecloth. Pour hot water to rinse and immediately soak in ice water to shock. 
3. Fish out the abalone and place on plate.
4. Garnish with daikon shreds, shiso leaves, wakame seaweed and cucumber slices. Serve with low-sodium soy sauce. 

Note: Wash the raw abalone with salt makes the texture more crisp rather than chewy. Rinsing with hot water and shocking in ice water immediately does the same trick.

Raw Oyster

Ingredients:

• One raw oyster in shell, alive
• 1/8 lemon wedge
• 30g daikon cut into thin shreds
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 5-6 lemon slices
• Japanese shiso leave and 1/8 tsp caviar (optional)

Directions:

1. Open up oyster and wash off the sands. Soak in ice water with 5-6 slices of lemon for 10 min. 
2. Fish out the oyster and place on the shell for presentation. Place the shell on top of the daikon shreds and some greens.
3. Garnish with lemon edge and serve. Squeeze the lemon wedge on oyster before eating it.
4. Can top with 1/8 tsp caviar and use shiso leave as garniture.

Note: Fresh oyster should be plump without too much water in the shell when you open it. 

Egg Tofu

Ingredients: 

1 large egg
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Whisk up everything until well blended. Strain mixture to get rid of lumps.
2. Pour the egg mixture into a small bowl. Steam for 10-15 min until tooth pick test is clean.  Cool for 10 min.

Note:

1. An egg yolk is basically a bag of concentrated food for the development of a chicken embryo if the egg is fertilized. It doesn’t float around freely inside the clear egg white, but is anchored to the shell by two little twisted ropes called chalazae (pronounced cuh-LAY-zee), and these are the white lumpy things that affect the texture when you make steamed egg custard. One chalaza connects the yolk at the more pointed end of the egg and the other at the rounder end. This tethering ensures that the yolk is protected against hitting the inner walls of the egg if the egg is moved around.
2. To make sure the custard comes out smooth, steam 2 min on high heat and then slightly lift the lid to leave a small crack for steam to release. Continue to steam for 10 min.

Enjoy!

Baked Apple.

1. Cut off the center of one apple but leave the bottom uncut. Fill out the hole with 1 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tsp olive oil, 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp red wine.
2. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 42-27 min. 

Cold Berry Soup.

Dried Goji Berry

Cold Berry Soup with Chickpeas (yield one serving):

Ingredients:
For soup:

• 1/2 red grapefruit, about 100g, peeled and diced     
• Six strawberries, halved

• 30g raspberries (about 6-8)
• 10 dried Goji berry
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• Honeydew 50g, cut into bite-size dices
• 2 tbsp cooked chickpeas or beans

Directions:

1. Soak dried goji berries in a little water to soften.
2. Put half of total red grapefruit (50g), half of total strawberries (3 strawberries),  raspberries, 10 dried goji berries, salt black pepper in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Combine the mixture with honeydew dices, the other half of red grapefruit dices, the other three strawberry halves, and cooked chickpeas. Serve.

Fruit Salad with Berries.

Berry Fruit Salad (yield one serving):

Ingredients: 

Salad:

• Strawberries (cut in halves), blueberries, raspberries about 10-20g of each in equal parts
• Romaine lettuce or any greens 20-30g, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Celery 20g or half stalk, chopped.
• One kiwi sliced
• 1/4 apple sliced or cut into chunks

Dressing:

• Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries in equal part, about 15g of each
• Celery 15g or half stalk, diced
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp honey or sugar

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in dressing in blender and blend until smooth.
2. Combine all fruits and vegetables in a mixing bowl and pour the dressing on the salad. Mix gently and transfer to a plate. Sprinkle chopped celery on top an serve.

Double Berry Soda.

Double Berry Soda (yield one serving): 

Ingredients: 

• Strawberry 50g
• Raspberry 50g
• Preferrably honey 20g (or sugar 12-15g)
• Lemon juice 2 tsp
• Soda water

Directions:

1. Cut strawberries into small dices. 
2. Put strawberries, raspberries, honey, lemon juice into container, mix well and chill in refrigerator for 5-6 hours.
3. Add soda water to dilute and serve.