簡速清蒸活魚 Microwave Steam Fish

Steam fresh fish is an expensive dish in Cantonese Restaurant.  Usually, you only get to eat it in a banquet.  If you check the recipe, it is quite complicated to make it at home.  I learned this microwave version of the steam fish from my Mom's helper back in 2007.  She is a Cantonese and she would go to the Chinese market in the afternoon to buy a live fish to cook for my mom's dinner.  It is easy to make and taste as good as the restaurant version (doesn't look as pretty though).   Today is Chinese New Eve.  It is a tradition to have a whole fish in the New Year's Eve dinner.  So, I made one and share the recipe with all of you.

This dish has to be made using fresh fish.  So, you have to live close to a Chinese Supermarket.  For those of you who don't have the luck like us in Arcadia (with three Chinese Markets in two mile radius), come back and I will treat you!

Ingredients:

One fresh fish (1 to 2 lb), the one in the picture is Tilapia 立魚, the least expensive live fish in the Chinese market.  I also use Red Tilapia 紅立魚.  The more expensive fish include 鱸魚 or 盲曹.  Tilapia is about $4.50/lb, Red Tilapia is $5.50/lb. The other two is about $10/lb.

gingers, scallions, salt, cooking wine, light color soy sauce


Steps:

1.  Buy the fish at the same day you are going to cook it.  The market will kill the fish and clean it for you.  When you get home,  wash it again and remove all the remaining guts inside the fish.  Cut three slits in 45 degree angle on both sides of the fish.  Sprinkle and rub some salts on both outside and inside of the fish and put some ginger slices in the stomach.  Put the fish in a oval shape plate, make sure the head and the tail does not go outside the plate.

2.  Cut 6 slices of ginger into thin strips, and four stems of scallions into strips.  20 minutes before cooking,  add 2 teaspoon light color soy sauce (生抽）(I ran out the light color soy sauce, so I used the regular one, it is too dark), 1 table spoon cooking wine on the fish, put the ginger and scallion on top of the fish, and  spread 0.5 table spoon cooking oil on the scallion.   Wrap the plate tightly with saran wrap.

3.  Cook the fish in microwave in high heat.  The cooking time varies depending on the size of the fish.  If it is small (less than 1 lb), 4.5 minute is sufficient.  For a fish slightly more than 1 lb, you can use 5.5 minutes.   The one in the picture is almost 2 lbs and I cooked for 6.5 minutes.   When a fish is fully cooked, the meat will come out of the bone easily.  If the meat still stick to the bone and has a little pink color, it is not fully cooked.  You don't want to overcook it either.  Each microwave over's power is different, you might need to do some testing.

The picture above was taken before I microwaved it.  The scallion will not be this green and fresh looking out of microwave, so don't be disappointed if your's does not look the same as the one in the picture :)     Let the cooked fish sit for a few minutes before you remove the wrap.  You might be burned by the steam if you open it too quickly.

Happy Chinese New Year, wish you 年年有餘！

烤紅豆年糕 Baked Sweet Rice Cake with Red bean paste

Tomorrow is Chinese New Year Eve (1/30/2014) and it is the year of horse.  I got this recipe from my Chorus friend Anne Chou last year and I made it many many times.  My friends and family love it.   It is a easy dessert for the Chinese New Year.  Try it yourself.

Ingredients:  

• 16 oz sweet rice power (green bag, see picture below)
• 3 eggs
• 2.5 cups milk
• 2/3 cup begetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cut chopped walnuts (optional)
• 10 oz sweet red bean paste (Sukina, or 小倉紅豆) (see picture below)

Steps:

 1. Preheat the over to 375 degree.

 2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, milk, sweet rice powder,  baking powder, vanilla extract and oil together.

 3. Pour the batter into two 8 inch round baking pans, or one big 8x12 pan. You can add the red bean paste and walnut after you pour half of the batter.  The red bean paste is very thick and it is hard to spread it evenly.  So, just drop a small spoonful here and there and try to be even.  The batter is pretty thin, and the red bean will sink to the bottom of the pan.  On the contrary, walnuts will float to the surface.

A more complicated way is to bake half of the batter for about 7 minutes or until it starts to set, then pour the red bean paste on it.  However, there is a drawback – since the bottom part cooks 7 minutes longer than the top, the bottom may be a little burned when the top is done.  I tried both way, I still like to cook the bottom part first even though the bottom is a bit burned.  

4. Bake for about 45 minutes at 375 degree. Stick a chopstick into the center of the cake and make sure it comes out clean.  If the top is already brown but the center is not done yet, reduce the temperature to 350 degree.