Water Dumplings with ground pork and Napa cabbage (白菜豬肉水餃）

Christina's friend asked me for a water dumpling recipe because she plans to make them for a Chinese New Year party at school.  I then realized that I haven't been making dumplings for a long time!  Since I never measured the seasonings when I used to make them, I have to do it again and write down everything so that I can give precise instruction.  I took a lot of pictures during the preparation.  Therefore, I will make this blog entry a picture recipe :).  As you can use different kind of meat (pork, beef, chicken, shrimp or fish) and different kind of vegetables (napa cabbages, celery, Chinese leeks, yellow leeks, pickled mustard green) in the dumpling stuffing.  I am making the most common one in this recipe.  I will probably add another of my favorite stuffing (shrimp, ground pork and leek) later. 

Note- a section for making the skin from scratch, i.e., from general purpose flour, has been added at the end (as Section 6), to make this a "complete" recipe for making dumplings at home, esp. when we want to reserve the option to convert dumplings into Pot Stickers (鍋貼, that requires thicker dumpling skin, when pan-frying-from-raw, 生煎, even though pot stickers are usually made with hot-water dough, i.e., the dough made with flour mixed with hissing-hot water).

Figure 1. Prepare the meat

Ingredients:

ground pork:  around 1.5 lb to 2 lb (I had 1lb 10 oz to be exact)
napa cabbage:  one medium size
cucumber : one
green scallion: two stems
ginger roots:  4 thin slice
dumpling wrappers:  two packages (make 75 to 80 pieces)

Figure 2.  Blend Napa cabbage

Steps:

1.  Prepare the meat:  

Figure 3.  Drain water from chopped vegetable

     Chop the green scallions and mince the ginger roots and put them in the ground pork.  Add 1 tsp salt, 2.5 Tbsp soy sauce (regular color), and 1 Tbsp sesame oil to season.  Here comes the important steps.  You need to mix the seasoning with the meat, then add water to make it tender.  I added a half cup of water today.  Adding 1/3 at a time, then I use a pair of chopsticks to stir the water into the meat in ONE DIRECTION (I do it clockwise).  When the water is absorbed into the meat, you can feel the resistance when you stir, then you can add more water in it.  This step is the secret to make the dumpling juicy.  You can add more water as long as the meat don't seem too soft.  Figure 1 is the marinated meat.  You can put it in refrigerator when you prepare the vegetable.

Figure 4. Stuffing is ready

2.  Prepare the vegetable:
A. I add one cucumber because it REALLY improves dumpling's flavor.  Peel the skin, empty the seeds and shred them into thin strips.  Cut the strips into short pieces and add 1/2 tsb salt to suck out the juice.

B.  Chopping napa cabbages is a very labor intensive job and I figured out an easy way -- using blender!!  First, chop napa cabbages into 1.5 inch squares,  add them in the blender and fill it with water and blend it at a low speed (figure 2).  I have a 10 speed Hamilton Beach and I used the 3rd lowest speed (puree) for probably 3 to 5 seconds.  You don't want to blend it too fine so I listen to the sound of the blender.  As soon as the sound became louder indicating that the whole thing is stirring up, I let it last for at most 2 seconds and stop it.  You can check to see if they are still too coarse, if so, add a couple of more seconds -- don't over do it!   If you see some big chunks of stems, it is normal, just chop them.    Pour the vegetable and water into a strainer sitting on top of a empty bowl (Figure 3) and let it drain.  Reuse the water in the bowl for the second batch of vegetable and dump the chopped and drained vegetable into another empty bowl.    When all the vegetables are chopped, add 1.5 tsp salt into the vegetable and let it sit for 5 minutes.  

C. Now, squeeze the water out of the chopped napa cabbages (I squeeze a handful at a time) and add the vegetable to the meat from step 1.  You have to squeeze as hard as possible to get all the water out.  Do the same for cucumbers.  Now mix the vegetable with the meat,  try to stir in the same direction as you did before.  Add one Tbsp sesame oil.  The stuffing is ready as seen in Figure 4.

Figure 5. Dumpling Wrappers

Figure 6. Make a dumpling

3.  Wrap the dumplings

You can make your own dumpling wrappers, but it is much easier just buy the package from a Chinese supermarket.  Hong Kong Dumpling Wrapper (Figure 5) is the brand I always use.  It is not too thin or too small.  Usually in one package, there are 35 to 40 wrappers.

You need a pair of chopsticks and a bowl of water (to moisture the wrapper for sealing).  It is hard to explain how to wrap a dumpling, so I will just show some final products (see Figure 6 and Figure 7).   Make sure you seal the edge tight (wet half edge of the skin with water) and the stuffing doesn't come out.  You usually make 4 to 6 folds on one side to make it stand. 

The ready-made wrappers are not as stretchy as the home-made one, therefore, it is hard to put a lot of stuffing in.  You need to try it and make sure you can seal it tight without anything sneaking out!  So, be conservative.

Figure 7.  Dumplings are ready to cook

Figure 8.  Cooking in plenty of water

4.  Cook the dumplings

Boil water in a big pot (I used a pot with 9 in diameter and 4.5 in height) and I added water to fill 2/3 of the pot (about 10 cups).  Bring water to boil.

Add dumplings into the boiling water two at a time.  Use a wood spatula to stir the water (around the edge of the pot) to make sure the dumplings do not stick to the bottom of the pot.  I added 32 dumplings in the pot.  Make sure you don't put too much dumplings with too little water.  They will stick together or break if you don't have enough water.  For this much water,  you can put 35 dumplings at once without problem.

Close the lid and use high heat to bring the water to boil again.  Stir the water once or twice.   After it is boiling, open the lid (you better watch it closely, the boiling water will spill out and extinguish the flame if you don't pay attention) and reduce the heat to medium.  Let it boil for another 5 minutes.   If your stove is not strong enough,  don't lower the heat.  If the water stop boiling when you open the lid,  close it half way.

The cooking time varies depending on how strong your stove is.  My gas stove is very hot and it usually takes me less time to cook.  So, five minutes is my estimate and you have to adjust it accordingly. Don't cook too long because the skin will become very soft.    The traditional way to cook dumplings is to add cold water when it boils and you repeat this process three times.  I heard a theory recently (5 years ago?) that adding cold water will make the cooked dumplings stick together and hard to separate.   You SHOULD NOT add cold water, just open the lid, reduce the heat and let it cook.  After several experiments myself, I found it works better without adding cold water!!

5.  Making the dip sauce

Dip sauce is easy,  just use soy sauce and sesame oil with some chopped garlic as base.  According to personal tastes,  add vinegar or hot sauce or chilly oil as you like. 

6. Making dumpling skin from scratch

Dumpling skin (水餃皮)- 4.5 cups of general purchase flour mixed w 1.5 cups of room temperature water; or 4 cups of flour with 1.5 cups of water for softer skin; roll into a dough and let rest for 30 minutes; separate the dough into 4 equal parts, each part rolled into a long skinny roll; and then, cut each roll into 16 small pieces (or 20 pieces for smaller dumplings, with softer skin, ie. more water in the dough); use a rolling pin to flatten each small piece into a flat round (3" - 4" in diameter). Please reference this excellent YouTube video for more details (Chinese soundtrack with English subtitles). Note- 4-cups of flour with 1.5 cups of water get us softer dough and skin, but same number of or more parts (64, or 80, because the dough is a bit more flexible and pliable. Just need more dry flour when rolling the skin). 

Noodles with Pickled Mustard Greens (雪菜魚煨麵, 雪菜肉絲麵)

Previously we posted two veggie dishes with pickled mustard greens.  Here are two noodle dishes using the same versatile ingredient.  The first dish below is a noodle dish that seems to be popular in the Shanghai region, where noodle is not a main staple food.

I. Shanghai-style simmered noodle with fish filet and pickled mustard greens (雪菜魚煨麵)

1. Get a pack of Pickled Mustard Greens (雪菜), rinse it with running tap water and mince.  Note- Taste a sample of the Pickled Mustard Greens to make sure it is not too salty.  If it is too salty, soak in water for 10 minutes, drain out water and taste again, if it is indeed too salty.  Repeat the process if necessary.
2. Cut two pieces of fish filet into 1/4 cubes.  Marinate the fish cubes with 2 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, for 10-15 minutes.
3. Heat a pot of water and cook your favorite noodle following the instructions on the noodle package.  Take the noodle out when ready and set aside.
4. Pour a can of chicken broth (~1.5 cups) into a medium-sized pot, add 3 cups of water.  Bring to boil and let simmer. Add the cooked noodle into the pot and cook at low heat for 10-12 minutes.
5. Place the minced Pickled Mustard Greens.  Bring to boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes (skip this simmering 2-3 minutes if you'd like the veggie to be a bit crispy, i.e., not as soft as the noodle).  Finally, add the fish filet cubes into the pot, bring to boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

II. Noodle with pickled mustard greens and sliced pork (雪菜肉絲麵)

1. Get a pack of pickled mustard greens (雪菜), and chopped slightly into smaller chunks.  Note- See note in Step 1 above.
2. Slice ~1/4 lb of lean pork, and marinate with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tsp of corn starch, for 10-15 minutes.
3. (High heat) Heat 2-3 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add marinated pork slices and stir-fry for a minute or two.  Add chopped Pickled Mustard Greens and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Note- A picture of the intermediate result is shown to the right here.  This can be served as a dish in and of itself.
4. Heat a pot of water and cook your favorite noodle following the instructions on the noodle package.  Take the noodle out when ready and set aside.
5. Pour a can of chicken broth (~1.5 cups) into a medium-sized pot, add 3 cups of water.  Bring to boil and let simmer.  Add the cooked noodle into the pot.
6. Place cooked pork and  Pickled Mustard Greens from Step 3 into the pot. Bring to boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Singapore-style Rice Noodle (星州炒米粉)

We previously posted Taiwan-style Stir-fried Rice Noodle.  Here is its Cantonese counterpart, the Singapore-style Rice Noodle, a distinctive curry-flavored dish.

1. Bring 4-6 cups of water in a pot to boil and turn off heat.  Place ~1/2 lb of rice noodle in the pot till the rice noodle turns soft (~2-3 minutes).  Take the rice noodle out into a large bowl and cover the bowl with a heavy plate to keep the heat in the bowl for 8-10 minutes (let rice noodle "cook" in the residual heat).  Stir in 1 tsp of veggie oil and 2 tsp of soy sauce afterwards.  Note- Use thin rice noodle.  I usually use 鴻運 新竹米粉 (will add a picture for product and package later).
2. Soak 4-6 dry mushrooms in water for at least 30 minutes (or in hot water for 15 minutes), cut off the stems, then slice into thin strips.  Chop yellow (韭黃) chives into ~1" segments.  Rinse ~2 cups of bean sprout, and set aside. Soak 10-12 dry shrimps in warm water for 10-15 minutes, and mince (optional).
3. Slice ~1/4 lb of lean pork, and marinate with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tsp of corn starch, for 10-15 minutes.  Marinate 10-12 (~ 1/2 lb) large shrimps (de-shelled and deveined) with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 tsp of corn starch, and 1/2 tsp of salt, for 10-15 minutes. Note- No need to cut shrimps.  
4. (Low Heat) Crack and beat 1 egg in a bowl.  Place a dry fry pan on low heat (with no oil and no water on the pan), spread the beaten egg evenly and thinly on the pan (by swirling the egg fluid slowly around on the pan).  Cover the pan with a lid and let cook (still at low heat) for 2-3 minutes. Take out the egg crepe and slice into thin strips.
5. (Medium-to-high heat) Heat 1-2 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan. Add the slices of dry mushroom and minced dry shrimps (from Step 2; Do Not add the yellow chive just yet). Stir-fry for a minute or two, then add the sliced pork and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Finally, add the shrimps, and stir-fry for ~60 seconds. Take out all the ingredients and set aside.  Note- Try not to over-cook the shrimp!
6. (Curry Preparation- cook the curry powder, a key step for this dish! Medium-to-low heat) Heat the same flat bottom cooking pan. Add 1 Tbsp of curry power on the dry pan (with no oil added, except for what's left from the cooking in Step 5 above).  Spread the curry power a little on the pan, and let it heat up till bubbles come out from the power. Stir the power a bit more for 15-30 seconds.  Note- Uncooked curry powder will make this whole dish taste powdery and untenable!
7. (High Heat) Now, with the curry powder cooked, add 1 cup of water into the pan, and turn up the heat. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, and 2 tsp of soy sauce into the water.  Bring to boil and add the rice noodle from Step 1.  Add bean sprout first, all cooked ingredients from Step 5 next, and yellow chive last.  Mix evenly with rice noodle, and stir-fry for ~30 seconds. Note- Try not to over-cook the yellow chive!
8. Turn off heat, add 1 Tbsp of sesame oil, 1/2 tsp of white pepper, and the egg slices.  Finally, add 2 tsp of vinegar along the circumference of the cooking pan.  Mix all thoroughly and serve.   Here is a picture of the final product.
   
    

Dishes with Fish Filet (糟溜魚片, 糖醋魚片, 薺菜魚羹)

Instead of using a whole fish, this recipe uses frozen fish filet,  We feel that even frozen ingredients can be made into restaurant-quality dishes :-).  The first dish below is a well recognized Cantonese dish, while the next dish a typical Shanghai dish (same ingredient, different sauce).  The soup in Part III is a traditional Shanghai dish.

I. Cantonese-style Fish Filet (Fish Filet with Anka Sauce, 糟溜魚片)

1. Defrost 2 pieces of fish filet, and cut into larger chunks (~1.5"wide) along its length.
2. Marinate the fish filet chunks with rice cooking wine and corn starch for 30 minutes.  Soak 1/4 cup of dried black fungus (木耳) in a bowl, then hand tear into smaller pieces.  Cut half a carrot into thin slices.
3. (Medium-to-high Heat] Heat 3-4 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan, add 1 stalk of minced scallion, 3-4 slices of ginger, let the oil heat up for 30 seconds.  Add the fish filet chunks, and let fry for 2-3 minutes (do not stir the fish pieces, slightly shake the pan horizontally to shift the fish pieces slightly in the oil).  Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth.
4. Add sliced carrots and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Then add black fungus pieces and stir-fry (stir lightly to make sure the fish pieces are not broken up), for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Season with either 2 Tbsp of Anka Sauce (red in color, 紅糟醬) or 2 Tbsp of sweet fermented rice (white in color, 甜酒釀), 1 Tbsp of minced fermented soy beans (豆豉), 1/4 tsp of white pepper.  Let simmer for another 3-4 minutes.  
6. Garnish with minced scallion and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

II. Shanghai-style Fish Filet  (糖醋魚片)

• Step 1-4: same as above.
• Step 5: Season with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp vinegar (i.e., The Traditional Sweet and Sour Sauce).  Let simmer for another 3-4 minutes. 
• Step 6: same as above.

III. Shanghai-style Thick Soup with Minced Fish Filet (薺菜魚羹)

1. Get a pack of Frozen Chinese Spinach (薺菜, see picture for product package).  Defrost, rinse thoroughly (no need to blanch), cut off all the roots with a pair of scissors, mince, and hand-squeeze out any water left in the minced Chinese Spinach. Note- this is the same product we used in Shanghai-style Rolls wrapped in Soy Sheet (薺菜百頁包).
2. Cut two pieces of fish filet into 1/4 - 1/2" cubes.  Marinate the fish cubes with 2 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, for 10-15 minutes.
3. Pour a can of chicken broth (~1.5 cups) into a medium-sized pot, add 3 cups of water.  Bring to boil and let simmer.
4. Place minced Chinese Spinach and fish filet cubes into the pot. Bring to boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of white pepper (powder).
5. Place 4-6 Tbsp of Corn Starch with 6-8 Tbsp of water in a bowl, mix thoroughly.  Stir the corn starch mix into the pot, and stir continuously till the soup thickens. Season to taste by adding 1/4 tsp of salt a time. Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

A Dish or Two with Fish Steak (清蒸鱈魚 or 豆酥鱈魚)

Instead of using a whole fish, this recipe takes an easy way out by using frozen fish steak,  We contend that even frozen ingredients can be made into tasty restaurant-quality dishes :-).

I. Steamed Sea Bass Fish Steak (清蒸鱈魚)

1. Get ~1/2 lb of Taiwan Sea Bass (in frozen package) from a Chinese market, unpack, rinse thoroughly. Lightly sprinkle salt on each side of the steak.  Note- I'd try Pacific Cod in frozen package from Costco when I get a chance.  Will report back.
2. Chop 3-4 stalks of scallions into 2" segments.  Lay down the scallion segments side by side on a plate.  Place the fish steak on top of the segments.  Then add 6-8 slices of ginger on top of the fish steak. Add 3 Tbsp of rice cooking wine into the bottom of the plate.
3. Now place the fish steak (with scallion segment beneath and ginger slices on top) in a rice cooker, and steam for 10-12 minutes (allow 10 minutes for the rice cooker to build up the steam).  Note- Will try microwave for 3-4 minutes when I get a chance, and report back.
4. After steaming, drain the fluid content from the plate into a bowl, and take out the scallion and ginger. Then pour the fluid back on top of the fish steak.  Garnish with minced scallion or cilantro and serve. 

II. Sea Bass Fish Steak with Fried Soy Pulps (豆酥鱈魚)

1. Garnish the steamed sea bass steak (from Part I above) with fried soy pulps, and we get this popular Shanghai-style dish. There are two ways to make fried soy pulps, the traditional method and an alternative method:
2. [Traditional Method] Soy pulps are the pulps left from making soy milk (using soy beans).  It's not usually available from a market, but obtainable for free from a restaurant that makes and sells soy milk.  Heat 2-3 Tbsp of veggie oil in a pan at low heat, add ~4 oz of soy pulp, stir constantly until the soy pulps are golden and crispy (add 1 Tbsp of veggie oil a time if the pulps get too dry).  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of sugar.
   
3. [Alternative Method]  Get a small bag of pea cracker (豌豆酥, ~4 oz), crush the pieces inside the bag with a rolling pin (by rolling over the bag with the bag full sealed).  
4. [Low Heat] Heat 4-5 Tbsp of sesame oil at low heat, add minced garlic (2-3 cloves), 1 tsp of Hot Bean Sauce (辣豆瓣), 2 tsp of Fermented Soy Beans (豆豉), and the Fried Soy Pulps made in either Step 2 or Step 3.  Mix thoroughly, and spread the resulting mix on top of the steamed sea bass.  
5. Sprinkle some minced scallions (1 stalk) on top, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product, using the alternative method described in Step 3.
   

Taiwan-style Tempura Dishes (台式關東煮, 韭菜花炒甜不辣)

Two more traditional Taiwan-style dishes here.  Taiwan-style tempura is quite a different thing from the Japanese-style tempura.  It is available as fresh product in the seafood department in some, but not all, Chinese markets (see left-hand-side picture below).  It is also available in frozen package (see right-hand-side picture below).  

I. Taiwan-style Tempura Soup (台式關東煮)

1. [Stock Soup with White Radish] Follow the post to prepare white radish pork soup, bring to boil, and let simmer for 1.5 hours.  Alternatively, use chicken broth instead (1 can of chicken broth, ~1.5 cups, with 2 cans of water, ~3 cups), add 1-2 white radishes (rolling-cut into large chunks) and 3-4 dried mushrooms, bring to boil, and let simmer for 0.5 hour.
2. [Fish Cake, Fish Balls, and Fried Tofu] Add some fish cake (cut into bite size), some fish balls (魚丸, cut in half), and some Fried Tofu Puff (油豆腐, cut in half).  Bring to boil, and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt (1/2 tsp initially, then 1/4 tsp each time later).  Note- Need to get the kind of fried tofu puff that is filled with tofu on the inside, as opposed to the kind that is hollow inside. Alternatively, you can fry your own firm tofu pieces if time permits.  Also, please do not put in more ingredients than you can consume in one meal. 
3. [Tempura] Finally, add Taiwan-style tempura into the soup, bring to boil, and let simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Note- Tempura will lose its flavor if overcooked.   
4. [The Dipping Sauce]  Add Miso paste into the Sweet and Spicy Sauce (甜辣醬) posted earlier, and then dilute the sauce by adding some stock soup from Step 1.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

II. Taiwan-style Tempura with Chive Flower (韭菜花炒甜不辣)

1. Rinse ~3/4 lb of Chive Flower (韭菜花, see product package to the right here) and chop into 1" segments (separate the harder segments out, ~1/3 from the root).  Slice Taiwan-style tempura in half along its length.  Soak 4-5 dried mushrooms in water for at least 30 minutes (or in hot water for ~15 minutes), cut off the stems, and slice the mushrooms. Mince 1 stalk of scallions.  Note- Use Chive (韭菜) if Chive Flower is not in season. 
2. [Medium-to-high Heat] Heat 1-2 Tbsp of veggie oil, add minced scallions, sliced dried mushrooms, and the harder segments of the chive flower, stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add the rest of the chive flower segments, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  
3. [High Heat] Now, add the tempura slices. Add 3-4 dry red chili pepper (for decorative purpose).  Season with 1/2 tsp of white pepper, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 Tbsp of Rice Cooking Wine, 1 Tbsp of Oyster Sauce (or Soy Paste, alternatively 2 tsp of soy sauce with 1 tsp of sugar).  Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Note- Using thicker Oyster Sauce or Soy Paste can reduce the water content in the dish, since the chive will produce water when cooked.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Thee More Bean Curd Dishes (韭黃香乾, 黃豆芽香乾, 辣炒香乾)

In an earlier post, we wrote about a vegetable dish with bean curds (豆腐乾), bean sprouts (綠豆芽), and chive(韭菜). Here we add 2-3 more bean curds dishes, to show the versatility and possibility of using this ingredient. It usually takes 2 pieces of bean curds in a pack of 4 to make a dish. The unused 2 pieces will keep longer if they are immersed in water and saved in fridge.

I. Yellow Chives with Bean Curds (韭黃香乾)

1. Rinse 4-6 oz of yellow chives thoroughly, and chop into 1-2" segments.
2. Cut 2 pieces of bean curds into matchstick or toothpick like slices.  First cut horizontally into 4 slices, then cut vertically into long strips.
3. (Optional) Slice 3-4 oz of beef or pork, and marinate with rice cooking wine, corn starch, and soy sauce (2 tsp each).
4. (High Heat) Heat 2 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan, add meat (optional) and stir fry for 1 minute, add bean curds and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of soy sauce. Add some water (2-3 Tbsp), and stir evenly.  
5. (High Heat) Add yellow chive and stir for 10-15 seconds.  Turn off heat and take the pan off the stove. It's important Not to Overcook!  Season to taste (by adding 1/4 tsp of salt a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product.
      

II. Soy Bean Sprouts with Bean Curds (黃豆芽香乾)

1. Rinse the soy bean sprouts thoroughly. Take out the root segment of the sprouts for better presentation (optional). 
2. Cut 2 pieces of bean curds (see step 2 above).
3. (Optional) Slice some pork or beef (see step 3 above)
4. (High Heat) Cook bean curds and season (see step 4 above)
5. (High Heat) Add soy bean sprouts and 1/4 cup of water, cover the lid till the spouts are fully cooked (3-4 minutes).  Season to taste (by adding 1/4 tsp of salt a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product. 
   

III. Green and Red Peppers with Bean Curds (辣炒香乾 or 青紅椒香乾)

1. Rinse the green and red peppers thoroughly, and chop into larger slices (as shown in picture below)
2. Cut 2 pieces of bean curds (see step 2 above).
3. (Optional) Slice some pork or beef (see step 3 above)
4. (High Heat) Cook bean curds and season (see step 4 above)
5. (High Heat) Add  green and red peppers and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Season to taste (by adding 1/4 tsp of salt a time).  Here is a picture of the finished product with green hot chili peppers and dry red chili peppers.
   

Clams with Basil (九層塔炒蜆)

This is a traditional Cantonese dish. somewhat a delicacy.  The prep work for clams is a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort.

1. Get ~1 lb of clams. Look in a Chinese market for those with the shells open and the muscle sticking out a little. Now place the clams in shallow water in a large bowl.  Add 1 Tbsp of salt and stir evenly. Let the clams sit overnight, to make sure the sand in the clams are out.  Note- I have yet to try the clams in a frozen package. Will update if and when I do in the future.
2. (High Heat) Heat 2 Tbsp Veggie Oil in a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add 1 stalk of minced scallion, 2-3 slices of ginger, 2-3 cloves of garlic (pressed flat, no need to chop), 3-4 dry red chili pepper (hand-tear into larger chunks).  Stir-fry for a minute.
3. Add clams into the pan, add 6-8 green chili peppers (in larger slices, as shown in the picture below), and stir for a minute.  Now season with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of soy paste, 1/2 tsp of sugar.  Close the lid and let cook till all the clams are open (for 1-2 minutes).  Note- No need to add water. Once the clams are open, water inside the clams will be added into the pan.  
4. Add 1 stalk of scallions (chopped into 1-2" segments), and 15-20 fresh basil leaves.  Stir evenly for 10-15 seconds (it is important not to overcook). Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

A Treasure Trove of Vegetable Chunks (四寶粒)

Vegetables can taste good, even to meat lovers.  We had hoped to demonstrate that possibility with Wheat Gluten with Four Ingredients (四喜烤麩).  Now we try again with this run-of-the-mill everyday ordinary dish.

1. Chopped all ingredients into 1/4"-1/2 cubes.  (1) 1-2 Carrots; (2) 15-20 String Beans (四季豆, peel the side fiber by cutting each end half way with a small knife and peel along the side; fresh string beans do not have fibers to peel off), (3) dry mushroom (immerse in cold water for 30-60 minutes, or in hot water for 15-30 minutes, before cutting); (4) bean curds; (5) white radish (optional, peel and chop), (6) Chinese or Persian Cucumber (optional, no need to peel).
2. Mince 2 Tbsp of Fermented Soy Beans (豆豉)- This ingredient is easy to find in Chinese markets. It gives the dish a special salty and sweet flavor and a thicker texture at the same time. Use 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 tsp of sugar as its substitute.
3. (Optional, for Meat Lovers) Marinate 3-4 oz of ground pork with rice cooking wine, corn starch, and soy sauce (2 tsp each). 
4. (Medium-to-Low Heat) Heat 2-3 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan.  Add marinated ground pork (press down with spatula to spread the ground pork evenly). Add fermented soy beans (minced).  Cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. (High Heat) Add in all the veggie ingredients. Stir-fry for a minute. Add 1/4 cup water. Season with 1/2 tsp of salt.  Stir-evenly. Cover the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Season to taste (by adding 1/4 tsp of salt a time). Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Hot and Sour Soup (酸辣湯)

This is a traditional Szechuan dish.  It's so popular that it can be found in almost any Chinese restaurant.  It is spicy hot because we add white pepper at the end, not from use of hot pepper.

1. All ingredients, veggie and pork, are cut into matchstick-like slices.  (1) 1 piece of frozen bamboo shoots, (2) 3-4 dried mushrooms (香菇, immerse in cold water for 30-60 minutes, or hot water for 15-30 minutes, before cutting), (3) 3-4 dried black fungus (黑木耳, immerse in cold water for 30-60 minutes), (4) 1 small (or half a big) carrot (consider using a coarse-grained Mandoline slicer).  Note- Please follow the safety rules and be careful when cutting.
2. Slice 3-4 oz of lean pork and marinate in 2 tsp of rice cooking wine, 2 tsp of corn starch, and 2 tsp of soy sauce.
3. Slice a pack of soft tofu (嫰豆腐) into 1/2" x 1/2" x 1" chunks.  Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp of corn starch and 4 Tbsp of water in another small bowl (and stir into even mix).
4. (Prepare the Soup Base) Heat the soup base in a medium-sized pot (~8" in diameter) using a can of chicken broth (12-14 oz, ~1.5 cups), and 2 cans of water using the chicken broth can (~3 cups of water). Bring to boil and let simmer.
5. (High Heat) Heat 2 Tbsp of veggie oil in a flat bottom cooking pan and add all the veggie ingredients in Step 1 except the black fungus, stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Then add black fungus and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 Tbsp of soy sauce.  Pour all these cooked veggie ingredients into the soup pot.  Now, repeat the process (without seasoning), to stir-fry the marinated pork slices, for 1-2 minutes, till the pork turns white, but not fully cooked. Add pork slices into the soup pot. 
6. (High Heat for the Soup Pot)  Add the tofu chunks into the soup pot.  Season with 1/4 tsp salt.  
7. Bring the pot to boil.  Add the corn starch mix and stir the soup evenly until it is thickened. Add the beaten egg into the soup and stir evenly.  Note- The soup can be made thicker to your liking, by repeating the corn-starch-mix addition exercise (勾芡).
8. (Turn off Heat)  Add 1 tsp of white pepper and 1 Tbsp of vinegar, and stir evenly.  First, add soy sauce if the soup is in lighter than light brown color (1 tsp a time and stir evenly).  Second, taste first, then season to taste (by adding 1/4 tsp of salt, and/or 1/2 tsp of white pepper, and/or 1 tsp of vinegar). Garnish with chopped scallions and serve. Note- Consider allowing each individual to add white pepper and/or vinegar to his/her own soup bowl.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Spicy Pickled Long Beans (辣炒酸豇豆)

Spicy pickled long beans, a dish we once ordered in an upscale restaurant in Shanghai at an astonishingly high price tag, is actually a common dish in the region (or peasant food, as the western world might call it).  It's a delicious dish that deserves its place on everyone's dinner table or in everyday's lunch box :-).  This recipe is also written to show how pickled vegetables (酸泡菜) can be made at home. Using the same method, we can pickle cabbage, carrot, white radish, etc.

I. Pickled Long Beans, Carrots, Turnip, or Cabbage (酸泡長豇豆, or 酸泡菜)

1. Fill a clean large-sized jar with clean filtered (or boiled tap water) water till it is half full.  Add enough salt to make the water taste really salty but not bitterly salty (add 1 Tbsp a time and taste).  Optionally, add 1 Tbsp of Kaoliang Spirit (高粱酒) to speed up the fermentation process.  To add taste to the pickled veggies: add 4-6 dry hot peppers, 3-4 cloves of peeled whole garlic, and 16-20 pieces of Chinese Peppers (花椒).  Note- please take care not to let any oil into the water, or let any oily utensils touch the water.
2. Get a pack of long beans (or Carrots, Turnip, or Cabbage), rinse, dry with kitchen towel, and place the beans (or Carrots, Turnip, or Cabbage) in the jar.  Place the jar in the fridge for at least 2 weeks initially. See picture to the right for a jar with carrots on top and long beans below.  Note- Carrot and turnip need to be skinned and sliced, and cabbage cut into bite size.
3. Once the initial fermentation is done, the beans would turn slightly yellow, and the fluid in the jar would turn frosty white.  From then on, the pickling process can be shortened to 3-5 days each cycle. This jar and its fluid can be reused for months to come.  Note- If the long beans taste too salty after being extracted from the jar, immerse them in water for 30-60 minutes and taste a small segment again. Repeat the process with fresh water if necessary.

II. Pickled Long Beans Stir-fried

1. Marinate 4-6 oz of ground pork with rice cooking wine for 10-15 minutes.  Chop 12-16 stalks of pickled long beans into 1/4" chunks.  Mince 2-4 dry red chili peppers.
2. (Medium Heat) Heat 2 Tbsp of Veggie Oil, add minced red chili peppers, stir for a minute, add ground pork and stir for 2-3 minutes (separate the ground pork into smaller chunks by pressing the spatula flatly on the meat that's bunched together).
3. (Medium-to-High Heat) Add chopped long beans and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Stir-fried Rice wrapped in Egg Crepe (蛋包飯)

This was a popular Taiwanese stir-fried rice dish way back when we were in college. It adds quite an interesting twist to the simple stir-fried rice, by wrapping the rice inside a crepe, i.e., a thin pancake made of egg.

Ingredients: (to make two servings)

    - dry mushrooms 5 pieces
    - pork lion 4-6 oz
    - frozen peas 3 Tsp
    - cooked rice 2 cups
    - eggs 2
    - ketchup, light soy sauce, salt and pepper

 Steps:

A.  Make Stir-fried Rice:

 This step is quite similar to the earlier post on Stir-fried Rice, only simpler.  Store cooked rice in the fridge for a day or two, to make it harder and drier.  Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a cooking pan (use High Heat), add pork loin strips (marinated them with 1 tsp corn starch, 1tsp rice cooking wine, 2tsp soy sauce, pinch of salt for 10 minutes) and stir fry until cooked, add dried mushrooms slices and frozen peas (frozen in package, defrost by rinsing  peas in a strainer and dipping into a bowl of water), 1/2 tsp salt and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.  Take out the meat and mushroom from the pan.  Heat 1 Tsp vegetable oil, add chopped green scallions in the oil first, then 2 cups of cooked rice into the pan, season with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper,  stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the rice is slightly crispy to the taste.   Last, add the meat and vegetable into the rice, 2 tsp ketchup and mix them well.

B. Make an Egg Crepe
 

Crack and beat an egg thoroughly in a small bowl (you can add a pinch of salt in the egg if you like more flavor).  Place a dry (no oil)  small-to-medium-sized flat non-stick pan (6-8" in diameter) on low heat.  Pour the beaten egg into the pan, and tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the egg fluid coats the pan surface evenly and roundly.  Cover the lid and let cook till the egg fluid gels into a thin yellow crepe (2-3 minutes). Turn off heat.  Note if you put oil in the pan,  it is harder to make a round and pretty egg crepe.  The one in the picture on the left was made when I put a little oil in the pan.  The second one without the oil looks much more professional, but I didn't take a picture :)

Carefully remove the egg crepe from the pan with a wooden spatula, and place it on a flat plate. (the side face the pan should be faced down in the plate) Scoop and pile up stir-fried rice on top of half of the crepe, as shown in the picture above.  Fold the other half of the crepe over to cover the rice (and  to create an "omelette").  Sprinkle ketchup on the egg crepe, and serve. 

Some Eggplant Dishes (九層塔茄子, 鱼香茄子, 酥炸茄盒, 鍋塌茄子)

If you like eggplant, these dishes are definitely worth a try.  If you don't like eggplant, these dishes might change your mind :-).   We use Chinese eggplants here, as shown in the image below.

I. Eggplant with Thai Basil (九層塔茄子)

1. Rinse 2-3 Chinese eggplants thoroughly.  Do cross-section cuts along the length of each eggplant into  1.5'-2" segments (each segment ends up like a felled tree trunk). Cut each eggplant trunk vertically into 4-6 long slices. Place the slices in a bowl of water for 5 minutes (let it absorb water now, so it will absorb less oil later).  Drain water out with a strainer.
2. Mince 4-6 cloves of garlic, and 1 stalk of green onion. Rinse and chop a small bundle of Thai Basil. Set aside these ingredients separately.
3. Marinate 1/4-1/2 lb of ground pork for 20-30 minutes, with 2-3 tsp of rice cooking wine, 2-3 tsp of soy sauce, and 1-2 tsp of cornstarch.
4. (Medium-to-High-Heat) Add 2-3 Tbsp of veggie oil into the flat bottom cooking pot. Turn on medium-to-high heat for a minute. Add marinated ground pork into the pot. Press the ground pork flat with a wooden spatula, then stir up and flatten again, until the pork is no longer clumped together. Take the pork out.
5. (Low-to-Medium Heat)  Add 3-4 Tbsp of veggie oil into a flat bottom cooking pot. Strain extra oil from the previous step into the pot. Add 1/4 tsp of salt. Add minced garlic. Cook till fragrant. 
6. (High Heat) Add Eggplant slices prepared in Step 1 into the pot. Stir the pieces in hot oil for a minute or two. Add the almost-cooked ground pork into the pot. Add 1-2 Tbsp of soy sauce. Add 1/4 cup of water into the pot. Stir and mix thoroughly. Cover the lid, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook till the eggplant pieces are soft (10-12 mins). Season to taste, by adding 1/4 tsp of salt.
7. Now add the chopped Thai Basil into the pot. Stir and mix the Basil leaves with eggplant, while counting up to 15 seconds. Turn off heat. Continue to stir the leaves in. Sprinkle the minced green onion on top and serve. 

II. Eggplant in Szechuan-style Spicy Sauce (鱼香茄子)

1. Rinse 2-3 Chinese eggplants thoroughly.  Do cross-section cuts along the length of each eggplant into  1.5'-2" segments (each segment ends up like a felled tree trunk).  Cut each eggplant trunk vertically into 4-6 long slices. Place the slices in a bowl of water for 5 minutes (let it absorb water now, so it will absorb less oil later).  Drain water out with a strainer.
2. Mince 4-6 slices of ginger, 4-6 cloves of garlic, and chop 1 stalk of green onion.
3. (High Heat) Place 3-4 Tbsp of vegi-oil into a flat bottom cooking pan, place eggplant slices into the pan, and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.  Push all the slices to the side of the cooking plan, and leave a 4-5" diameter opening in the middle. Note- the seemingly large amount of oil is comparatively much less than the deep-fried cooking method of this dish, if I understand correctly.
   
4. (High Heat, Making the spicy garlic Sauce) Pour 1 Tbsp vegi-oil into the pan opening, and place in the minced ginger and garlic (let cook for a minute).  Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp Hot Bean Sauce (辣豆瓣 , see product package to the right), and 1/4 cup of water (this part along with the added vinegar in Step 5 below constitutes the spicy garlic sauce we cook fish with, hence the name 鱼香(i.e. fish-flavored)).  Now stir-fry the whole pot for 2-3 minutes.  Place the lid on the cooking pot and let cook until the eggplant slices are soft (for ~10 minutes, add water if necessary, but the lid should prevent most of the water from dissipating).  Season to taste, with salt (add 1/4 tsp a time), or soy sauce (add 2 tsp a time).
5. Now, a critical step!  Turn off the heat.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp Vinegar along the circumference of the pan (the process known as 鍋邊醋 in Chinese, mainly because vinegar's taste evaporates when cooked longer than a minute or two).  Sprinkle the chopped green onion on top.  Stir the ingredients evenly, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  Note- Using more than 1 Tbsp of Vinegar might make this dish too sour!  If so, turn on high heat, then stir and mix for a minute or two to let the vinegar evaporate (to fix the problem).
   

III. Fried Eggplant Stuffed with Shrimp (酥炸茄盒) 

1. Rinse 1 Chinese eggplant thoroughly.  Do angled cross-cut on the eggplant along its length (at about 60-degrees from the cross-section, to increase the size of the cross section) into 3/4"-thick pieces.  For each piece, slice 2/3 into the cross section of the piece (but not to cut through), to create a pocket for the embedded shrimp.
2. Get half a pound of peeled and deveined shrimps. Marinate the shrimps (see Note). Note- Marinate 1 lb of shrimps for 2-3 hours with 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of corn starch, 1/4 tsp of baking soda, and 1 Tbsp of veggie oil, as we did in Sautéd Crystal Shrimps. 
3. (Batter) Mix 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour with an egg and 1/2 tsp salt and some water (starting with 1/4 cup of water then adding little by little), stir evenly to create a batter that is relatively thick (i.e., dripping slowly, but not flowing). Note- An alternative method is to separate beaten eggs from dry flour.  When frying, dip an eggplant piece in egg fluid first, dry flour next.  This results in much thinner layer of coating, and a bit more time-consuming.
4. Dip a shrimp into the batter, and insert it into the pocket of an eggplant piece.  Then dip the eggplant piece (with shrimp embedded) into the batter.  Let the piece sit in a plate, and process through the whole batch of shrimps and eggplant pieces.
5. (High Heat, Deep Fry) Pour 2-3" vegi-oil into a medium-sized pot (~8" in diameter).  Heat the oil, and place in the eggplant pieces.  Fry until the pieces are golden brown (~3-4 minutes).  Note 1- When does the oil reach the desired 150-deg-Celsius?  Dip one piece of chopstick into water and let drip dry (don't wipe dry! Dip the chopstick into heated oil, if the vegi-oil has reached the desired "high heat", you should see tiny water bubbles rising FAST alongside the chopstick.)
6. (Medium-to-Low Heat, Making Sauce, i.e., the Sweet and Sour Sauce) Add 1 Tbsp vegi-oil into a small pot (5-6" in diameter), place chopped green onion and garlic in, and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Add 1/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp vinegar.  Bring this sauce to boil and let simmer.  Stir the corn-starch water (1 Tbsp Corn Starch with 3 Tbsp water) into the sauce slowly until the sauce is thick.  Note 2- This sauce is similar to the traditional sauce above.
7. Sprinkle the sauce on top of the fried eggplant pieces, and serve (use the remainder of the sauce as  dipping sauce).  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

IV. Pan-Fried Eggplant (鍋塌茄子)

1. Get two Chinese eggplants.  Cut the ends off, rinse, and further cut each eggplant into ~ 1/4- 1/2" thick slices.
2. (Prepare the batter) Crack and beat 3 eggs in a bowl, add 3/4 cup of flour, and 1/2 cup of water, mix thoroughly.
3. (Prepare the dipping sauce, medium-to-low heat) Heat 1 Tbsp vegi-oil in a smaller pot (~5-6" in diameter), add 1 stalk of scallion (chopped), 2-3 slices of ginger (minced) and 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced), stir-fry for 1-2 minutes; add  1/2 cup of water, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce, 2 Tbsp ketchup, let simmer for 1-2 minutes with lid on. 
4. (Medium Heat) Heat 1/4" deep vegi-oil in a medium-sized flat pan.  Coat each eggplant piece with a thin layer of batter, then fry till both sides are golden brown (~4-5 minutes each side).
5. Garnish with chopped scallion and serve with the dipping sauce on the side.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Daikon and Pork Rib Soup (白蘿蔔排骨汤)

This is an easy to make soup that is quite a treat for the whole family.   Daikon is also known as  white radish.  The pork rib here is short for Pork Spare Rib (大排骨), as opposed to Pork Baby Back Rib or Pork Loin Back Rib (小排骨).

1. Purchase half a rack of pork spare rib, ~2 lbs, and have the butcher cut the rack into ~1.5:-2" wide slices. When you get home, cut the long (but narrow) slice further into smaller individual chunks.  Blanch the rib pieces for 2-3 minutes in a medium-to-large pot (~10" in diameter), drain the water, rinse thoroughly, and refill the pot to ~60% full.
2. Get 3-4 white radishes (2-3 lbs), clean, peel, and cut into larger chunks.  Note- I'd suggest the roll cutting technique (滾刀塊).  Instead of rolling the radish 180-deg for each cut, roll it 90-to-120-deg, and then cut.
3. Bring the pot to boil, change to the lowest possible heat level, add 4-5 slices of ginger, 3 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, and 3-5 dried mushroom (in whole, no need to cut, no need to soak in water beforehand, just rinse and drop in).  Let simmer for at least 2, preferably 3 hours.  After 3 hours, both ribs and radish should be flavorful and soft as tofu.  
4. Season to taste (initially, add 1/2 tsp of white pepper and 1 tsp of salt, then 1/4 tsp of salt each time and taste).  Skim off oil, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.
   

Two Vegetable Dishes using Pickled Mustard Greens (雪菜百葉毛豆，雪菜蠶豆酥)

Pickled Mustard Green with green soybeans and soy sheets

雪菜百葉毛豆 （Pickled Mustard Greens with Soy Sheets and Green Soybeans) is a common vegetable dish made of 雪裡紅 (pickled mustard greens).  The pickled mustard greens can be found in the Chinese supermarket in the refridged food section (not in the freezer) as seen in the picture left below.  It can be stirred fried with different kind of ingredients.  This one with soy sheets and green soy beans is the most popular one.  In some Shanghai restaurants,  they replaced soybean and soy sheets by broad beans (蠶豆).  The methods are very similar so I put the two dishes in one recipe.

Pickled Mustard Greens

   
Ingredients:

1. One package of pickled mustard greens (see picture to the left)
2. 1/3 cup of green soybean kernels or half cup of broad bean kernels (they can be found in the frozen food section in a Chinese supermarket, see the picture below)
3. Soy sheets (same as #2, it can be found in the frozen food section in a Chinese supermarket, see picture below).  It comes as sheets of letter-size paper or smaller.   Use 2-3 if large sheets, 5-6 if small.

Steps:

1.  Defrost the soy sheets by rinsing them under the cold water or leaving them in the room temperature for a couple of hours. Cut the soy sheets into small strips about 1" x 1/2 " size.  In a big bowl of cold water, dissolve 1 tsp baking soda, put the soy sheets in for 30 minutes.  The color of the sheet will turn white.  This step is used to soften the soy sheet.  Too much baking soda will make it too soft.  Rinse the sheets thoroughly such that there is no residue of the baking soda on the sheet.  

2.  Defrost the soybeans or broad beans by rinsing them under water.  Drain the pickled mustard greens and rinse them with tap water.  Taste the mustard greens to check if it is too salty.  Usually the package come with the right saltiness, but sometimes, it might be too salty.  If it is too salty, rinse them longer or submerge them in water for 5 minutes. 

3.  In a cooking pan,  heat 2 TSB vegetable oil, add either the soy beans or the broad beans, stir fry them for 3 minutes (add salt to season -- note because the mustard greens is already salted, do not put too much salt).  Add drained pickled mustard greens in the pan, stir fry for another 3 minutes, add 1 tsp sugar.  The vegetable should look very green.  If you use soy beans,  now add the soy sheet (drained)  in, stir fry for another couple of minutes (you can add 0.5 Tsp water if it is too dry) until the soy sheets are soft.  Taste it and add some more salt if needed.  Last, add one tsp sesame oil, mix, and turn off the heat.   

Here is the picture of the Pickled Mustard Greens with Broad Beans.

Pickled Mustard Greens with Broad Beans

Clay-pot baked rice with Chinese sausages and Chinese smoked ham (臘味堡仔飯）

This seems to be quite a unique dish available in Southern California Cantonese restaurants.  Not sure if it is available elsewhere in US.

1. After rinsing rice thoroughly (using a mixing bowl) and draining water (with a strainer), immerse 1 cup of rice in 1 cup of water for an hour, then stir in 1/2 tsp of veggie oil.
2. Coat a thin layer of vegi oil inside a 6"clay pot, then put the rice and water in.  Note- For an 8" clay pot, use 2 cups of rice soaked in 2 cups of water for an hour (stirring in 1 tsp of veggie oil at the end).
3. Bring the pot to boil on a stove (with lid off, 6-8 minutes), cover the lid partially and let simmer till no more boiling water on top of rice (3-4 minutes, water will overflow if the lid is covered completely at this point), cover the lid and continue to cook at low heat for 10 minutes. Note- In case you haven't noticed, this is the time-tested traditional method of cooking rice,  before the invention of Rice Cookers. A slightly burnt crust of rice (鍋粑) will form at the bottom of the pot, which is the part I like the most.
4. Add sliced Chinese sausages (香腸), Chinese smoked ham (臘肉), Chinese BBQ pork (叉燒) on top of rice, cover the lid and cook at low heat for 5 more minutes, turn off heat, and cook in residual heat for 15 minutes minutes or longer.  Note- After adding meat slices on top, the pot can be moved into an oven, and baked for 15 minutes at 400-deg-F according to some online sources, but I have not tried that method.
5. Blanch your favorite leafy vegetable and place on top of the rice, and serve.  Here is a finished product.
6. Prepare seasoning sauce for cooked rice by mixing 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 3-4 tablespoons of drinking water. Sprinkle seasoning sauce on rice and serve with the sliced meat. 
   
   

Cantonese Yang Zhou Fried Rice (揚州炒飯）

Yang Zhou Fried Rice is a popular dish offered by Cantonese BBQ restaurants.  It usually includes egg, BBQ pork (or ham), chicken, shrimp, carrots and peas.  This recipe is my own rendition.  Since I use similar ingredients so I named it after the one you find in the restaurant.  And this is the best way I use up the leftover rice that was left dried and got old in the fridge for several days :)

Ingredients: 

Cooked rice : 4 bowls
BBQ pork (叉燒肉): 5oz (can be replaced by ham, chicken, or pork)
Frozen package of carrots and peas : 1/2 cup
Frozen bamboo shoot: one piece
Dried mushrooms:  5 pieces
egg : 1
green scallion: 1
salt, pepper and light soy sauce for seasoning

Steps:

1.  Cook the rice using a rice cooker (The rice cooker comes with a small cup.  One small cup is equivalent to 3/4 measuring cup).  Using 2 cup of raw rice will make 4 bowls of cooked rice.  The freshly cooked rice is usually too sticky to make fried rice.  You might want to use less water when you cook it.  After it is done,  open the rice cooker,  mix the rice and let it cool for a while.  But, if you happen to have some left over rice that is stored in the fridge overnight, and too dry to eat, use them will get you the best result.

2. Soften the dried mushrooms by submerging them in water for 1 hour or until they are soften.

3. Cut the bamboo shoots, mushrooms (take the stem out), and BBQ pork into small cubes (similar to the size of the carrots in the frozen package).  Chop the scallion and beat the egg (add a pinch of salt in egg batter)

4. Heat up 1 tsp vegetable oil in the cooking pan, stir fry the egg batter and break it into small pieces, take the egg out of the pan.

5. In the same pan, heat up 1 TBSP vegetable oil,  stir fry black mushrooms, bamboo shoots and frozen carrots and peas, add 1/2 tsp salt,  1/2 TBSP soy sauce for 2-3 minutes, then add the BBQ pork.  If you use chicken or pork instead of BBQ pork (which is already cooked),  you will need to marinate the meat and stir fry them until they are cooked first.   Take the meat and vegetable out of the pan.

6. Heat 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil again,  add the chopped scallion and wait until they are turning brown a little bit, add rice and stir fry them for 2-3 minutes.  (If the rice is cold, fry them until they are heated)  Add salt and pepper for seasoning (don't add too much because the meat and vegetable are already flavored).  Add eggs (#4) and the rest of ingredients (#5) and mix well.  Note if there is juice from the vegetables in #5,  drain the juice before you put them back to the rice.

Last Note:  it doesn't need to be precise about the portion of the ingredients.  Many of the ingredients can be exchanged.  For instance,  the one I made yesterday had corns because I bought a mixed package with carrots, pea and corns.  Sometimes, I put chopped fish balls or artificial crab meat.  For meat, you can use sausage, chicken, pork, or ham.   The key of success is that the rice should be loose and dry, not sticky or mushy.   Try not to add any liquid (from the meat or vegetables) in the rice when you make the dish.

Winter Melon Soup (火腿冬瓜湯）

This is a very traditional Hangzhou (杭州) soup.  For simplicity reason, we are lumping it into the world of Shanghai Dish.  #ShanghaiDish

1. The flavor of the soup comes mainly from the Jinhua Ham (金華火腿, see product package to the right). Regular lunch ham from any market can be used as substitute. Cut the ham into thin slices. Also, Virginia Ham might work as well the Jinhua Ham (haven't tried yet).  Note- The Jinhua ham comes in thick, hardened form, making it hard to cut. As a result, please cut with extra care!  
2. Fill a medium-sized pot (~8" in diameter) with water to 50% full. Place ~2 oz of sliced Jinhua Ham (or 6-8 oz of regular lunch ham), along with 6-8 oz of chicken broth.  Bring the pot to boil and let simmer (with the lid on) for 15 minutes.  Note- No need to add salt.
3. Cut a large wedge of winter melon (~ 3-4 lbs) into ~2" wide slices, clean seeds out in each slice, and remove the skin of the melon from each slice (cutting the skin out vertically by laying the slice side way).  Further cut each slice into ~1" wide x 1/2" deep x 2" thick pieces. Note- The melon slice is about 2" thick.
4. Place the melon pieces in the pot.  Bring the soup to boil, and let simmer (with the lid on) till the melon pieces are nearly transparent (looking like frosted glass), which takes another 15-20 minutes.  
5. Add 12-15 pieces Lima Beans or Broad Beans (蠶豆) into the soup after the melon has been cooked for ~10 minutes.  Note- Both beans came in frozen form.  Here is a finished product.