Basil Dressing.

Ingredients (yield 1/2 cup):

• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp apple or orange juice
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 grams Silken Tofu

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Cover and refrigerate. Use within one week.

My Guacamole!

To me, guacamole is at its best with a few fresh ingredients that are in season. The basic essentials are garlic, jalapeno, lemon or lime and avocado. You can adjust and add more on top of that.

Ingredients (yield 2 cups): 

• 2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 tablespoons minced jalapeno
• juice of one lemon or lime
• pinch of cayenne
• kosher salt to taste
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Smash the garlic against the cutting board with the side of a knife and remove the skin. Add a pinch of salt to the garlic and mince finely. Use the side of the knife to grind the paste finer into a paste, using the salt to act as an abrasive. (or use a pestle and mortar for the job). 
2. Transfer the paste to a bowl and add the onion, jalapeno, and avocado. Mash up the avocado but remain slightly chunky.
3. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt and cayenne to taste.

Notes:

• Add freshly diced tomatoes or red bell peppers.
• Use it as filling to make Devil's Eggs.
• Use it with baked wonton wraps for appetizers.
• Use it for Bruschettas.
• Use it in quesadillas, wraps and sandwiches.

My Classic Pesto Sauce.

Store-bought pesto sauce can never taste as good as a homemade batch and it only takes 3 minutes to make it if you have a food processor.

Use it on pastas, sandwiches, or in soups and salad dressings.

Add enough oil so there is a thin layer of oil float on top of the sauce to keep it fresh and green, before you retire them to the refrigerator. The oil will keep the basil from oxidizing and darkening.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons pin nuts or walnuts
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put everything except the oil in a food processor and pulse until the basil is chopped.
2. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all is incorporated to a pasty consistency.
3. Enjoy.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce!

Teri-yaki (照り焼き) is a Japanese cooking process of grilling (yaki, 焼き) and glazing the meat with a soy based sauce to make it shiny and glistening (teri, 照り) .

The basic Japanese teriyaki sauce ratio is 2:1:1 -- 2 parts of soy sauce, 1 part of mirin and 1 part of sake -- when used in cooking process as a glaze or a flavoring sauce. When making it as a dipping sauce, use equal part (1-1-1) of soy sauce, mirin, sake; then add and adjust the sugar to your taste.

Remember, any sauce you are making, don't over-flavor it so it can stay general-purposed and useful in many preparations. You can always adjust and add more but you can not take out what is already in there.

The store-bought American version of teriyaki sauce is leaning toward the sweet end of the spectrum, if that is what you are familiar with. I suggest you use the basic proportions and adjust the sugar level. Don't over sweeten it. If you have one of those bottles, try adding more soy sauce and sake to it next time.

Ingredients:
Basic for cooking: 

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of mirin or replaced with 2 tablespoons of rice wine and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sake or rice wine
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, adjust to your taste

Basic for dipping sauce:

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of mirin or replaced with 2 tablespoons of rice wine and 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tablespoons of sake or rice wine
• 2 to 3 teaspoons of brown sugar, adjust to your taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch 
• 1 tablespoon water to mix with cornstarch

To punch it up:

• 1/4 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp freshly minced garlic or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Replace sugar with maple syrup or honey
• Optional, add a touch of pineapple juice or vinegar

Directions:

1. To cook with it: Mix up and add it to stew browned fish or meat or brush on skewed meat.
2. To make dipping sauce: Mix up and bring to boil. Turn heat low and simmer until it thickens.

Notes:

• If you don't have mirin, for each 1 tablespoon of mirin, replace it with 1 tablespoon of sake or cooking wine and 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.
• To make it even better, you can use maple syrup or honey to replace sugar.
• Store-bought sauces use refined sugar while using honey or brown sugar will make the sauce taste rounder, balanced with a molasses note.

Homemade Crème Fraiche!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cups heavy whipping cream (at least 36-40% milk fat.)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk (real buttermilk with a live culture in it.)

Directions:

1. Clean a jar thoroughly and sterilize it in boiling water for 10 min. Let it dry completely before using. 
2. Pour the heavy cream into the clean jar and add the buttermilk.
3. Mix together and cover with cheesecloth (I use twine to tie it up), a coffee filter or something breathable.
4. Leave it at a warm spot (about 70°F - 75°F) for 24 hours until thickened.
5. Keep refrigerated for 24 hours before using. It lasts about a week or two.

Notes:

• You can slightly warm the cream up first before mixing in the buttermilk to speed up the process. Basically the warmer it is, the faster the reaction is. 
• Unlike sour cream, the cream won't curdle and break when cooked.
• It's tart and tangy with a deeper flavor and a nutty note, better than sour cream.

Homemade Mustard!

Ingredients (yield 1 cup about 250g):

• 1/3 cup (55g) mustard seeds
• 1/3 cup (80ml) white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) dry white wine (or water)
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar or turbinado sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• big pinch of cayenne
• 2-4 tablespoons warm water, if necessary
• optional: 1-3 teaspoons prepared horseradish, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the horseradish, in a stainless-steel bowl. Cover, and let stand for 2-3 days.
2. Put the ingredients in a blender and whiz until as smooth as possible. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water if the mustard is too thick. Blend in the horseradish, if using.

To store: The mustard will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated, although it’s best if used within one month.

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. 

How to Make Clarified Butter.

Clarified butter is a butter that has been melted and separated into butter fat, butter milk, and milk solids. The buttermilk and milk solids burn more easily (at about 300F and 150C) and are removed to produce the remaining clear butter fat that can tolerate higher heat (about 450F and 230C).

It could take a few hours to make clarified butter, just letting it simmer very gently on the stove. A few hours later, it will be separated into clear fat with the white foam on the top and the butter milk at the bottom.

Directions:

1. Cut the butter into cubes and place them in the saucepan. 
   
2. Melt the butter over a very low flame. It will foam, bubble, and it will start to separate into its components, with the milk solids floating on the top and the butter milk on the bottom.
3. Once the butter starts to separate, you can skim the milk solids off of the top and continue to cook it over a very slow, gentle low heat. As it continues to cook, it will separate even more.
4. Ultimately the butter will be almost clear and it is pure fat.
5. You can use the clarified butter for stir-fry or as a topping.

Note:

• Do not replace regular butter with clarified butter in your recipes unless it calls for it specifically. Since regular butter contains 16-17% water that has been removed from clarified butter, it's going to throw the proportions of your baking recipes off. 
• Ghee is not the same as clarified butter. It's often used in Indian dishes and is heated just a wee bit more on medium heat, until the milk solids are browned, giving the resulting fat a nutty flavor, richer aroma and a very high smoke point. (more)
• The butter milk and milk solids in regular butter start to burn above 250F-300F (about 150C). Clarified butter has a higher smoke point (around 450F and 230C) for high heat cooking. 

Homemade Mayonnaise - Cheaper and More Delicious!

The good thing about making your mayo is that you could use good high quality olive oil that is good for your health.

Ingredients (yield about 2 cups): 

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil 
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from half of a lemon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• pinch of black pepper

Directions:

1. Dump the egg yolks into a tall container, a mason jar, or the beaker that comes with the stick blender (immersion hand blender). Add lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt, sugar, Dijon mustard into egg yolk. Top with a cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Let it settle for 10 second.
2. Stick the hand blender to the very bottom of the container or beaker. Start very gentle and slow and just pulse 5 second to begin with. Pulse slowly at 5 second intervals until you see the white thick cloudy emulsion starts to form from the bottom after the first 10 to 20 seconds. Then move the blender around to whip the whole thing into thick mayo.
3. Just a few second and voila! There you have your homemade mayonnaise.

Note:

• This recipe is on the tangy side. If you like a sweeter mayo, reduce the wine vinegar to 2 teaspoons. 
• You can also make it in the food processor following the same drill.

Herb Mayonnaise.

Ingredients (yield 1 cup):

• 1 cup mayonnaise (how to homemade healthier version)
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons of fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to season

Directions:

1. Combine the mayonnaise, parsley, dill, lemon juice, basil, salt, and pepper in a blender and pulse at 5 second intervals until the mayonnaise is smooth and green.
2. Serve or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Raspberry Sauce.

Ingredients (yield one cup):

• 1 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 cup honey or sugar
• 2 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (framboise) or orange liqueur
• crated orange zest and juice from one orange
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine raspberries, honey (or sugar), liqueur, and orange zest and juice in a small saucepan and put on medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened slightly. Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
2. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer. Toss away the solids. 
3. Serve immediately or cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Note:

• Chambord raspberry liqueur is a common one at most liquor stores and is more expensive.
• Mathilde raspberry liqueur is a less expensive option among others.
• Some fruit liqueurs are candy sweet or cough syrupy. Making your own liqueur (Raspberry Liqueur Recipe) gives you control over the end result in terms of sweetness and alcohol level.

Homemade Raspberry Liqueur.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces raspberries (about 2 1/2 cups)
• 1 cups gin, vodka or a red wine with a fruity note 
• 2/3 cup brandy (or use the same vodka)
• 1 cup sugar

Directions:

• Rinse raspberries and place in a container that comes with a tight lid. Mash and crush to break them up. Add vodka, (or wine), brandy, vanilla and sugar. Cover tightly with lid and shake well. Keep in cool place for 1 month.

Note:

• Don't use full-body red wine with too much tannin that may be too overpowering. Try light body low acidity red wines that are herbal, fruity and bright. You could try to make it with crisp, flowery and fruity white wines.
• Add lemon zest, vanilla, orange, honey, black currant to add more flavor and complexity.

My Warm Dark Chocolate Sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 1/2 cup whole milk (or 1 cup heavy cream for fuller flavor)
• 1/2 cup dark maple syrup
• 10 ounces of 60 percent plus bitter-sweet chocolate, finely chopped. (Or use 5 ounces 70 percent plus bitter-sweet chocolate and 5 ounces 50 percent plus semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped.)
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine the yogurt, milk (or heavy cream) and syrup in a small saucepan.
2. Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a low boil. Add the chocolates, salt and reduce the heat to low. Stir until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat. 
3. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Note:

• To re-heat, microwave 15 second and stir, repeat four times (total heat up time is 1 min).
• The use of name designations for chocolates is subject to food regulations and there are usually three types of baking chocolates on the market: milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and bitter-sweet chocolate, plus more names (sweet chocolate, dark chocolate) to confuse us.
• In the U.S., milk chocolate has to contain more than 10% chocolate liqueur, sweet chocolate - more than 15% and semi-sweet/bittersweet chocolate has to contain more than 35% chocolate liqueur.
• Different brands of chocolate vendors have different cocoa contents for these types and the listed percentage on the product may be higher than the actual chocolate liqueur/bits content. Therefore, don't expect the same sweetness in the result of prepared food, even when you use the same type or the type with the same designated percentage from different vendors.
• For example, if you use Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate (designated 60%), use 10 ounce. If you use Scharffen Berger, Valrhona or Schokinag, use 5 ounces of their semi-sweet type (50%) and 5 ounces of their bitter-sweet type (70%). I like Guittard 72 % bittersweet for its smokiness and I use all ten ounces of this.
• What's in the rest of chocolates? Mostly sugar and cocoa butter, and milk in milk-chocolate.

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.