Quinoa Pilaf.

Quinoa has high content of complete protein profile, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and it is one of the healthiest foods on earth. The water to quinoa ratio is about 2:1. If you want it on the fluffy side, use 3 parts of water to 1 part of raw quinoa. (more on grains)

Ingredients (yield 3-4 servings): 

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 - 3 cups of chicken broth or water
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 carrot, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons of almond slivers or pine nuts
• 3-4  tablespoons of chopped dried fruits (raisons, dried apricots, dried mangoes, cranberries)
• 2-3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Rinse quinoa with cold water and drain.
2. Heat up the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat and add onion. Cook 5 minutes until the onions are soft. Add in the quinoa and stir to saute for 3-5 minutes until they are coated with oil, toasted and smells nutty.  
3. Add in the broth or water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and maintain the simmer. cover and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until the liquid is fully absorbed. 
4. Turn the heat off and let it sit covered for 5 minutes. 
5. Open the lid and fluff with a fork. If you cook more for later use, transfer the excess proportion and let it cook before freezing or refrigerating.
6. Stir in the nuts, chopped dried fruits, herbs and vegetables. Dig in.

Notes:

• Add roasted squash or enjoy it with delicious oven fried sweet potatoes.
• Add chopped green onion to it.
• Add diced cucumber to it.
• Add other chopped nuts to it.
• Cook more quinoa and reserve for further repurposing in freezer, before adding in the nuts, fruits, and vegetables.

Ratatouille.

This is a simple vegetable stew dish and the flavor starts from saute-ing some onions to caramelize them and also to take off the edge of its harsh, sulfurous quality in the taste.

Ingredients (yield 2 servings):

• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1/4 cup of onion, diced into quarter-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup of eggplant, diced
• 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup of tomato concasse
• 1 tablespoon of garlic, chopped coarsely
• 1/4 cup for each of red, yellow, and green peppers
• 1/4 cup of zucchini, diced
• 1 tablespoon for each of freshly chopped thyme, parsley, oregano
• 1 to 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil for finishing touch
• toasted baguette or brown rice (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat up the pan on medium high and saute some onions with olive oil until it's softened and browned on the edges. 

2. Add the diced eggplants and saute for a while. eggplants need to be fully cooked in order to taste good. They are also very "thirsty" like a sponge and tend to absorb a lot of oil. Add more oil as you go if you observe the pan dries up too quickly.
3. Add garlic and tomato paste to the bottom of the pan and saute it until it changes from a very bright red color to brick-like red. This will add the color and flavor to the dish. Make sure it doesn't burn. When it dries up and start to stick to the pan, that's when you need to dump in the tomato concasse or diced tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium and add diced bell peppers, zucchini. Stir up for 2 minutes.
4. Add the stock just to cover all the ingredients and let it stew on medium low heat. Add chopped herbs. Put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook till the vegetables are very tender.  
5. Serve with a dash of extra virgin olive oil and a toasted baguette. There you go a nice light lunch.

Note:

• Add cooked beans, grains for a more sustainable vegetarian meal.
• Add green beans, peas, corns, carrots, or even tofu, whatever you have.
• Add diced chicken breasts (my homemade ready-to-go chicken breasts recipe) or leftover sandwich ham, turkey, if you are not a vegetarian.

Chicken Marsala.

The wonderful flavor comes from the right wine to the right ingredients.

The cooking process utilize saute-ing (a type of dry-heat cooking with fat, cooking techniques). Use a pan that's large enough so you don't crowd the chickens when you brown them. If the pan is too small, the heat will drop too much when the chicken hits the pan and the chicken will end up simmering in their own juice. By the time they are properly browned, they will be overcooked and grainy.

If the pan is too big, there will be areas of the pan without food to absorb the heat, where the oil may burn in those areas. If this happens when you are cooking, pour a few drops of cooking wine to prevent the burn. (More tips about high heat cooking and browning.)

Ingredients (yield 2 servings):

• 2 chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts, skin on, about 1 inch thick
• 2 shallot minced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoons butter 
• 8 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/3 cups chicken stock
• 1/3 cup dry or regular Marsala wine ( or dry Sherry, Madeira, or use white wine such as sauvignon blanc)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 branch of thyme
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream or butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Directions:

1. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper.
2. Place a heavy pan on medium high heat and let it heat for 3 minutes. 
3. Make sure there is no liquid left in the pan when you are ready to add oil, or it will burst, spatter and splash very vigorously and burn you. 
4. Add the high smoke-point oil. Once the oil begins to creep around the pan, almost as if you can see the convective movements in action and oil forms wavy patterns. Add the chicken when the oil is ready and hot. Make sure you put it away from you so you don't burn yourself.
5. When the browning is beginning, turn the heat to medium. It takes about 3 to 4 minutes to brown one side of chicken. Flip and cook another 3 to 4 min to brown. Then transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. The chicken should be golden brown on both sides and the skin should be crispy. Let it rest in a warm spot while you make a pan sauce from the fond.
6. Put the pan back on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and sliced mushrooms to it. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Add minced garlic and shallots and saute about 1 minute. 
8. Add the wine to deglaze and scrape off the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock to reinforce the chicken flavor. Add bay leave and thyme. Let it simmer and reduce until nearly dry (French term: A sec). Add cold butter or heavy cream to thicken and cook another 3 minute. The sauce should be thickened to coat the back of a spoon (French term: Nappé). Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper to taste.
9. Turn down the heat and add the chicken back in just to warm it up very briefly.
10. Place the chicken on plate and spoon the sauce over it to serve, garnished with chopped parsley for the colorful presentation.

Notes:

• This is a classic chicken dish with chicken breasts. You can cut the chicken breast to about 1 inch thick and saute-ing 3 to 4 minutes per side. Or pound the cutlets to about 1⁄4" thick before saute-ing 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side to render them tender. 
• You can dredge the chicken cutlet in 1/4 cup flour before cooking to make the skin more crispy.
• Marsala wine originates from the Italian city of Marsala, which is in Sicily. It is similar to Spanish Sherry. It has a complex, slightly sweet flavor with a little acidity that makes it the perfect choice for this great chicken and mushroom dish. 
• You don’t need to buy an expensive Marsala, but make sure it’s just regular Marsala wine, and not “Sweet Marsala” which is a desert wine and is too sweet for this dish. 
• This same recipe can also be made the with Sherry or Madeira wine with very nice results.
• Saute-ing is a high-heat method that requires plenty of heat in the thermal mass of the pan. A heavier pan retains more thermal mass than a lighter pan does. Well-seasoned cast-iron pans are great at retaining almost all the heat.
• You also need a oil that has high smoke point, such as vegetable oil, peanut oil or canola oil. If you use olive oil, make sure it's the refined light or extra light olive oil that can tolerate high heat in saute-ing. However, you should never use olive oil for frying.
• Meat should generally be cooked for 8 minutes per inch of thickness. 

Minestrone Soup!

When you have leftover vegetables in the refrigerator, the best way to get rid of them is to make a soup. Make sure you cut up the vegetables that can be easily scooped up with the spoon so you don't have to reach for your fork.

You can boil the tomato lightly, peel and seed to make a tomato concasse if you are serving this for guests and you want the presentation to look more appealing without the tomato skins and seeds floating around. Certainly you can use canned diced tomato to save time.

Ingredients (yield 2 - 3 servings):

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 cup cut Swiss chard, (or thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup button mushroom, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked beans
• 1/4 cup green beans, cut into inch-long pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped basil
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups of water or stock
• parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a pan and add olive oil. Add onions, carrots and saute for 3 minutes until they browns. Add garlic to saute for 1 minute. Add the mushroom and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add tomato and cook for 2 minutes until they soften. Add zucchini and water or stock. Bring to boil on high.
3. Add half of chopped parsley, half of basil, and Swiss chard.
4. Next you will add cooked beans. You don't add them at the beginning because they are already tender and you want them to remain a little crunchy. Adding them too soon will overcook them and make them mushy. 
5. When it boils again, turn the heat off and add salt, pepper to taste.
6. Serve with parmesan cheese, the rest of chopped parsley and basil.

Note: 

• I often add cooked pasta, brown rice or cooked beans to make it into a meal. Add these before you add the cooked green beans.
• You can also serve it with toasted rustic bread or baguette slices. 
• Feel free to throw in celery, corns, potato or peas. 

A Stewed Meat Sauce Dear to Heart!

Ru Lou Fan (Ragu Rice)

This is a very special recipe for a meat sauce that is dear to my heart and for people dear to me. It's a wildly popular indigenous local dish or condiment in Taiwan (called Lu Rou sauce). Think of it as a type of Ragu but with a different set of ingredients.

The sauce can turn anything plain into a heaven in mouth, no matter it's on steamed rice (Lu Rou rice), boiled noodle, vegetables, tofu, savory rice cakes, meat, seafood, even for sandwiches. It tastes even better the next day in terms of mouthfeel and flavor, when the collagen in the meat has completely broken down.

The key ingredient is "fried shallots" (what?) and to be authentic, this can not be substituted. (No, not even with fried onions, sorry.) If you can't find it, you can use fresh shallots, thinly slice them and deep fry, low and slow, until they turn golden brown (Homemade Fried Shallots).

The next important ingredients are dried shiitake mushrooms (what?) and dried shrimp (what?). If you really can't find these,  you could try fresh shiitake mushrooms but the flavor won't be as good and intense. Without the complex briny and fishy expression from dried shrimp, you can supplement with granulated seafood flavor powder or chicken broth powder, and replace water with chicken broth. However, the result won't be close. Natural flavors from real food are irreplaceable and unbeatable.

There are two key steps in the method. First is the browning process that employs caramelization and Maillard reaction to build up a good complex flavor foundation (more). Second is the low and slow, long cooking process that breaks down the collagen in the meat.

Remember this is not just a dish or entree, it is also used as a flavoring sauce so it is okay to err on the salty side. Use it on top of boiled leafy vegetables or blanched meat slices and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Left to right: Dried shiitake, Dried shrimp skin, Fried Shallots,
Soaked dry shiitake mushrooms (diced), Soaked Dried Shrimp (chopped), Sliced fresh shallots, 

Ingredients (yield 8 servings):

• 2 pounds of ground pork
• 1/2 pound of ground beef (80% lean)
• 1 cup fried shallots
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, hydrated and minced (what?)
• 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, hydrated and diced (what?)
• two large shallots, finely chopped or sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• dried shrimp skins 
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 4 cups of water, or less, including soaking water from dried shiitake and dried shrimp
• 1/2 cups of Shaoxing rice wine or regular rice wine
• 30g Chinese rock sugar (what?) or 2 tablespoons of Turbinado sugar or granulated brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, optional 
• 3 star anise or 1 teaspoon ground star anise powder, optional

Directions:

1. Add 1/2 cup water to dried shiitake mushrooms to hydrate them for 1 hour until they soften. Cut into dices.
2. Add 1/4 cup water to dried shrimps to hydrate them for at 10 min. Chop finely.
3. Slice fresh shallots if you use them. 
4. Put a heavy-bottom pot on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add fresh shallots and cook 7-8 min until you see the edges start to turn golden brown.

Step #4	Step #5

5. Add chopped dried shiitake and dried shrimp. Cook them on medium-high for 5-10 min until they start to turn brown, but don't let them burn.
6. Add minced garlic and cook 1 min until fragrant. Don't let it burn as burnt garlic is bitter.
7. Add ground pork and beef and brown the meat. Break up the meat into small pieces. You do not have to keep turning the meat. Let it sit and cook for 5 min so it can be browned. Then flip the bottom up and let other part hit the hot bottom to brown. Break up the meat as you go through this browning process.

Step #6	Step #7

8. Add 1 cup of fried shallots. Add the five-spice powder and ground star anise powder, if you use them. Stir in to make sure it is coated with the hot oil, and let it cook 5 min. 
9. Add rice wine and keep stirring the meat, let it bubble and sizzle on medium high heat for 1-2 min. 

Step #8	Step #9 and #10

10. Then add soy sauce. If your heat is right, it should bubble and sizzle. Stir the soy sauce in with the meat. You want the soy sauce to coat the meat evenly and keep browning them together. Let it sit at the bottom for 4-5 min before turning, and toss up to brown everything evenly.

Step #11	Step #12

11. When you see the edges of the meat turn dark brown, should you add in the water and start the stewing process.
12. Add water to cover the meat and stew for 1 hour. The sauce will get better and better as you reheat and cook even further. Tastes better the next day.
13. Enjoy it on the rice and noodle and everything I've told you or not.

Notes:

• Simplified key ingredient list:
• ground pork
• fried shallots
• dried shiitake mushrooms
• dried shrimp
• soy sauce 
• sugar (just a tad but could do without)
• The browning process is important. Spend some time to do it well. 
• Rock sugar can be found in Asian market. You could also substitute it with Turbinado sugar.
• You can use 1-2 table of molasses to deepen the color and flavor.
• Use Tamari soy sauce if you want it gluten free.
• Serve with plain food will be the best way to let this sauce shine. Pair with pickled vegetable as a side dish to make it pop.
• You can also add bean curds, tofu, boiled eggs into the sauce to stew. They will pick up the wonderful flavor. 
• The white pepper powder has a herbal earthiness that is different form black pepper. If you don't have it, you can skip it but using black pepper isn't going to cut it. Instead, use chili pepper powder or cayenne.
• You can add some red chili pepper flakes or dried chili pepper for the heat.
• Top the sauce with white pepper and thinly chopped green onions when you serve.
• You can mix in chili sauce for the kick when you serve.
• You can use less water and make it dense and salty, freeze them and add water to thin it down when you re-heat it. 

My Mapo Tofu!

This is my go-to dish when I don't know what to cook for dinner. I love having this with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of ground pork or beef (I use equal parts of pork and beef)
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 scallions chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 box of soft tofu or medium firm tofu, drained and diced
• 2 tablespoons of Fermented broad bean paste (dou-ban-jiang) (I use the plain version, no heat. Check here if you need help.)
• 2 teaspoons of hot chili sauce, or 1 teaspoon chopped dried red chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine).
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar



Sichuan Pepper

• 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce (or replace by another tablespoon of soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper 
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Slurry: 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 1 1/2 tablespoon of water
• one tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Mince garlic, ginger and scallions. Drain and dice tofu block (Tofu Types).
2. Heat up a heavy bottom skillet with one tablespoon of oil and put the ground meat (pork and/or beef) to brown on medium-high heat. Cook about 7-10 minutes. 
3. Add minced ginger, garlic and half of scallions. Toast until they are aromatic. Cook about 5-7 minutes.
4. Turn the heat to medium and add fermented bean paste (Dou-ban-jiang) and chili sauce. Saute fro 5 minutes until it is almost dried up and almost begin to stick to pan. 
5. Add soy sauce. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the cooking wine or mirin. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add oyster sauce and sugar. Stir to mix in. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water, Sichuan pepper and red chili flakes. Bring to a simmer.
8. Add tofu dices and gentle stir in to submerge the tofu in the liquid. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
9. Mix cornstarch and water to make slurry. Add it to the liquid to thicken the sauce. Bring to boil again and turn the heat off. Add the rest of chopped scallions, white pepper and sesame oil. Mix up.
10. Transfer to plate or deep dish. Garnish with chopped green part of scallions. Serve with steamed rice.

Note: 

• Even if you don't have all the items, you can still make it. 
• Simplified key ingredients:
• Ground pork or beef
• Tofu (duh...)
• Garlic (if you really don't have ginger or green onions on hand, you can skip those)
• Fermented bean paste
• Soy sauce
• Sugar
• When you have fewer ingredients, you have to work a tad harder to pump up the flavor base. (We're talking about 5-10 more minutes effort, not so bad.) I will tell you more about it later.
• Skip the hot chili sauce if you can't take heat or if you use the spicy version of the bean paste (La-dou-ban-jiang).