Shanghai-style Vegetable Rice (上海菜飯）

This is a main staple in traditional Shanghai-style restaurants.   Typically the rice is cooked with added pork grease (豬油) and brined pork (鹹肉), which makes it tasty with a distinctive old fashioned flavor.  We are making a purely vegetarian version here.  For meat lovers, it is pretty easy to mix in some steamed brined pork (蒸鹹肉) in diced form, or to add a piece of fried pork chop (炸豬排) on top.

1. Cook rice with a rice cooker or with any method you usually use, using slightly less water if you want your vegetable rice as moist as usual, because the added vegetable will produce liquid later (liable to make the rice slightly soggy, which is often how it's served in a traditional Shanghai-style restaurant).  Leave the rice in the original cooking device (still hot with steam).
2. Pick apart 4-6 stalks of Bok Choy, 青江菜 (into individual stem and leaf, see picture to the right), rinse thoroughly, and chop into 1" segments.  At high heat, stir-fry the Bok Choy segments in a flat bottom cooking pan with 3-4 Tbsp of vegetable oil and 1/4 tsp of salt, till the veggie is half cooked (still green and firm, not shriveled and soft, for 2-3 minutes).  Strain out fluid and set aside.
3. Place half of the stir-fried Bok Choy into the rice cooking device, mix evenly, cover the lid, and let the veggie steam with the cooked rice for 10 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the Bok Choy into the rice cooking device, mix evenly, and serve.  If you like meat, add a piece of freshly fried pork chop (炸豬排) on top, or mix in some freshly steamed and diced brined pork (蒸鹹肉).  Here is a picture of the finished product (with no meat).
   

Taiwan-style Three-Cup Chicken (台式三杯雞)

A cup of sesame oil (replaced by veggie oil below), a cup of rice cooking wine, and a cup of light soy sauce, make the Three Cups for cooking this chicken dish.  Adding basil leaves at the end gives it quite a unique flavor that can only be found from Taiwanese-style dishes.

1. Get two boneless and skinless chicken legs (or 1.5 - 2 lbs of chicken breast).  Cut into bite size, remove any extra fat, and drain out extra fluid.  Note- No need to marinate.  
2. (High Heat) Pour 4-6 Tbsp of veggie oil into a flat bottom cooking pan.  When the oil is heated up, add the chicken piece into the oil and stir every minute for 4-5 minutes.  
3. (High Heat)  Leave an opening in the middle of the cooking pan by pushing the chicken  pieces to the side of the pan.  Place 4-6 slices of ginger, 2-3 cloves of chopped (or minced) garlic, and 4-6 pieces of chopped red chili pepper (optional) in the opening, stir, and cook for a minute. Add 3 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 3 Tbsp of light soy sauce, let simmer under closed lid for 4 - 5 minutes.  Open the lid and cook for another 4 - 5 minutes (to reduce the fluid produced from chicken meat).
4. Add 1 - 2 cup of basil leaves (leaves only) on top of the chicken in the pan, cover the lid for 30 seconds.  Turn off heat, mix the basil leaves with the chicken, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  
   

Tien-Jin Moo-Shu Pork (天津木須肉)

This is a nice variation of the typical Moo-Shu Pork we see in a Chinese restaurant. This variation makes this dish much simpler to make (with much less cutting) and much easier to serve (with no flour tortilla wrapping).

1. Immerse ~1 cup of dried black fungus (黑木耳）in water for an hour.  Remove the hardened knots among the fungus.  Hand tear the fungus into bite size. 
2. Place 1/2 pound (1/4 lb if you prefer less meat relative to the veggie ingredients) of lean pork in freezer for half to an hour (till half frozen).  Or defrost frozen pork for an hour or so.   Cut the pork into 3/4" square x 1/8"-thick slices (not too thin).  Marinate the pork slices with 1 Tbsp of Rice Cooking Wine, 1 Tbsp of Soy Sauce, and 1 Tbsp of Corn Starch for 30-60 minutes.  
3. Cut 4 Persian or Japanese cucumbers into 1/8"-thick slices (not too thin, no need to peel or remove seeds).  Or, slice 2 regular cucumbers (after peeling and removing seeds).  Marinate the cucumber slices with 1 tsp of sugar for 20 minutes, then stir in 1/4 tsp of salt, let sit for 10 more minutes, drain all fluid, and set aside (sugar helps preserve fluid in cucumber and makes it crunchy). Note- Consider cutting Persian Cucumber this way: Cutting along its length into into ~1" long chunks at ~20-30-deg angle.  Standing each chunk on its flat end, then slicing top-down from right to left (or left to right). See picture below for the cucumber chucks and slices. 
   
4. Crack 3 eggs, add 1/4 tsp salt, and mix thoroughly.
5. (Medium-to-high Heat) Heat 2-3 Tbsp of Veggie Oil in a flat bottom cooking pan.  Pour in the marinated pork slices. Stir-fry till the slices turn color, but not fully cooked (1-2 minutes). Take out the slices and set aside.
6. (Medium Heat) Heat 1-2 Tbsp of Veggie Oil in the same cooking pan. Pour in the egg mix.  Stir-fry until the egg is half-cooked, i.e., the egg fluid is not running, but not firm yet (~1 minute).
7. (High Heat) Heat 1-2 Tbsp of Veggie Oil, pour in the cucumber slices and the black fungus pieces. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.  Add 1/4 tsp of salt and 1 Tbsp of soy sauce.  Pour in the half-cooked pork slices and egg.  Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes and serve.  Shown below is a picture of the finished product.  Note- Try not to over-cook the ingredients in this dish.  
   

Chinese-style Pork Jerky and Beef Jerky (豬肉乾, 牛肉乾)

Here are two very traditional Chinese-style snacks that are a bit pricey to buy, but relatively easy to make at home.  Besides, we are often uncertain about the preservatives and food colors vendors use when making the products, to prolong shelf life and to improve the appearance.

I. Chinese-style Beef Jerky (牛肉乾)

1. Get two pounds of Beef Eye of Round, and place it in the freezer until its half frozen (30- 60 minutes), Slice the round-shaped beef along its fiber, into 1/4" slices.  Note- Cut along the fiber, not across the fiber. Preserving the fiber threads makes the meat chewy. Half-frozen beef is easier to slice.  Please still cut with care!
2. Blanch the beef in boiling water for a minute or two in a pot.  Drain the water and fill the pot with fresh water to cover the beef slices.  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 stalk of scallion (cut into 2" segments), 4-6 slices of ginger, 2-3 Star Anise (八角), 15-20 pieces of Chinese Pepper (花椒), 2-3 Tbsp of Rice Cooking Wine.  Note- No soy sauce at this point, unless you want your beef jerky in dark color.  Bring the pot to boil, and let simmer for an hour.  
3. Pour about 1-2 cups of the stock soup left from Step 2 into a non-stick pan, and season with your favorite flavor for the beef.  We used 1 Tbsp of sugar, 2 Tbsp of light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 Tbsp of crushed chili pepper.  Place the beef slices side-by-side into the non-stick pan,  Turn on low-to-medium heat, and cook the beef slices in the seasoned sauce till the sauce turns into thick paste.  Flip the slices frequently to dip both sides of the beef in the sauce. 
4. Preheat the oven to 300-deg-F.  Lightly grease a baking pan.  Place the beef slices on the pan, and sprinkle some curry power on the slices (optional).  Bake for 15 minutes, flip the slices to the other side (and sprinkle curry powder again), and bake for another 15 minutes. Let the beef slices cool, before serving.  Here ia picture of the finished product.
   

II. Chinese-style Pork Jerky (豬肉乾)

1. Place a pound of ground pork in a mixing bowl.  Note- We usually ask the butcher in a Chinese market to wash and grind a chunk of Pork Butt, which has less fat content than the ready-made ground pork.
2. Add the following into the mixing bowl: 1 Tbsp of rice cooking wine, 1 Tbsp of veggie oil (for leaner ground pork), 2 Tbsp of Fish Sauce (魚露), 2 Tbsp of sugar, 3 Tbsp of Honey, 1/2 tsp of Five-Spices (五香粉), and 1/2 tsp of white pepper.  When it comes to the red color, add 1 Tbsp of red wine or red rice yeast (i.e., Anka Sauce), or 1 tsp of your favorite red chili pepper powder (only if you like your pork jerky spicy).  But the red color is optional, and a secondary consideration here.
3. Stir the seasoned ground pork in one direction only with a pair of chopsticks (either clockwise or counterclockwise, but one direction only!) for a good 5-6 minutes, until the ground pork is as thick as paste.  Let the seasoned pork sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.  
4. Now, place a layer of parchment paper (NOT wax paper, which is NOT oven safe) on a 10"  x 15" baking pan.  Scoop half of the seasoned ground pork on top of the parchment paper.  Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the pork.  Use hand to spread the ground pork first, then a rolling pin to flatten the pork to ~1/10" in thickness (i.e., to spread the half pound paste thin enough across the pan, where the pan size is the limit).  Use a spoon to shape and even out the thin layer of pork paste.  Note- Repeat this step for the second half of the ground pork.  Also, if you like your pork jerky really thin, consider using 1/3 lb of seasoned ground pork a time, i.e., making 3 sheets of pork jerky with 1 lb of ground pork.
5. Preheat oven to 350-deg-F.  Take out the top parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes.  Take the pan out of the oven, and drain out any fluid in the pan (while pressing the sheet of pork down with a spatula. Yes, it's a movable sheet of pork now!)  Flip the thin sheet of pork to the other side using two heat-resistant spatulas.  Bake for another 5 minutes.  Flip again and bake until the sheet of meat is dry, and the edges are slightly blackened (3-5 minutes each side, and repeat if necessary).  Note- Repeat this step for the second half of the ground pork.  Or, bake both halves in two pans at the same time, with the pan on the middle rack following the standard instructions here, and the pan on the lower rack observed closely (i.e., baked a bit longer or shorter, depending on your oven).
6. Dab both sides of the still-hot sheet of pork with paper towel to aborb the extra oil on the surface.  Let it cool, then cut it into your favorite snack size, e.g., 1.5" x 3" (easier if you cut with a pair of kitchen scissors), and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product (with no red color enhancement).
   

Two Chinese-style Candies- Sesame Seeds Candy (芝蔴糖), and a Chinese Nougat (牛軋糖)

Here are two more very traditional Chinese-style snacks.  Even though each carries the name of candy, they are both well qualified to serve as Energy Bars in a busy life, since there are more nuts and seeds than sugar in the ingredients.  BTW, they are pretty easy to make, in case you're wondering, if you're equipped with a non-stick pan and the parchment paper.  Even cleaning up afterwards is pretty straightforward, by soaking the utensils in room-temperature water for a while, for the hardened sugar to dissolve and fall off.

I. Sesame Seeds Candy (芝蔴糖)

1. Get roasted, unsalted sesame seeds (1 cup+), pumpkin seeds (1 cup+), and sunflower seeds (4 cups+, ~1 pound).  For raw seeds, place the seeds in a flat non-stick pan, turn on low heat, cook till fragrant (lightly golden, but not brown).  
2. Get a 500-gram jar of malt sugar or maltose (麥芽糖) from a Chinese market.  Let the jar warm up under the sun or by a heated pot while cooking, for an hour or so.  Note- Malt sugar is hard and sticky under room temperature, hence difficult to scoop out. Place the container in a pot of hot water for 15-20 minutes (bring the water to hissing, but not boiling yet; place a small ceramic plate in the pot to shield the plastic container from the bottom of the pot).  We refrain from using Microwave to heat up the malt sugar (not sure if the plastic container is microwave-safe). 
3. Place a non-stick frying pan on low heat, scoop half a jar of the malt sugar (~250g) into the pan.  Add 1/4 cup of water, and 1/4 cup of sugar (optional), cook until the malt sugar turns into liquid form (stir and mix evenly).  Add the roasted, unsalted seeds into the pan (i.e., 1 cup of sesame seeds, 1 cup of pumpkin seeds, and 4 cups of sunflower seeds).  Stir and mix evenly with the malt sugar mix.   
4. Turn off heat.  Cover your cutting board or kneading board with a piece of parchment paper (i.e., paper coated with silicone).  Pour the seeds mix on top of the parchment paper.  Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the still hot seeds mix, and press the mix down evenly with a rolling pin or with both hands.  Use one hand as guard to shape each of the four edges of the mix, while pressing down from the top along the edge (to form a rectangle with ~1/2" thickness, see Item II below for a picture).   Note- Wax paper is NOT suitable here, since the wax coating on the paper might be melted under the residual heat.  Also the wax paper is not really non-stick, whereas parchment paper is non-stick, and oven safe.
5. Let  the well-formed rectangle cool completely.  Cut the rectangle into your favorite size, and serve.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  Note- Let the pieces air-dry first, then store in single layer (stacking up without parchment paper in between may make the pieces stick together again).  
   

II. A Chinese Nougat- Milk Candy with Nuts (牛軋糖)

1. Get roasted, unsalted nuts (either 1 3/4 cups of peanuts, or 1 3/4 cups of mixed pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews; ~150g/cup).  For raw nuts, place the nuts in a flat non-stick pan, turn on low heat, cook till fragrant (lightly golden, but not brown.  All nuts should be cut into the size of a small-to-medium-sized peanut (or half of a large-to-jumbo peanut).  Note- To roast peanuts: Preheat oven to 350-deg-F.  Spread 1 3/4 cups of blanched peanuts (without skin), or regular peanuts (with skin) on a flat baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes (20-25 minutes if roasting in a cast-iron skillet, as the skillet heats up slower and the results better).  Stir peanuts thoroughly at the halfway point.  For regular peanuts (with skin), place the roasted (and cooled-down) peanuts between your hands and rub the skin off, as if you are rubbing your hands on a cold day.  If you double the amount of peanuts, stir and add half of the time used up to this point (i.e., half of 18-20 minutes for a regular pan, or half of 20-25 minutes for a cast-iron skillet). Let peanuts cool down before use or tasting (won't be crunchy until thoroughly cooled down).
2. Place a non-stick frying pan on low heat, add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil to grease the pan.  Add 5 cups of fresh miniature marshmallows into the pan (~50g/cup). Stir until the marshmallows turn into a glob of white cloud.  Add 1 1/2 cups of powdered milk into the pan (~100g/cup).  Stir and mix evenly.  Add the 1 3/4 cups of roasted, unsalted nuts (~150g/cup, from Step 1 above), and (optionally) 1 cup of dried cranberry (~150g/cup) into the pan.  Stir and mix evenly with the melted marshmallows (using a pair of wooden or silicone spatulas).  Note- Fresh marshmallows make "not-too-hard" nougat.  Marshmallows left unused for a while (after its expiration date, or over 6-9 months, even in sealed bags) dry out a bit and make the nougat harder.
   
3. Turn off heat.  Cover your cutting board or kneading board with a piece of parchment paper (i.e., paper coated with silicone).  Pour the still-hot nuts or peanuts mix on top of the parchment paper.  Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the nuts mix.  Use a rolling pin or another cutting board to flatten the surface down to ~1/2 thickness.  Cut off irregular parts and patch up to create a rectangle with well-formed edges.  Use one hand as guard to shape each of the four edges of the mix, while pressing down from the top along the edge (to form a rectangle with ~1/2" thickness, see picture to the right).   Note- Wax paper is NOT suitable here, since the wax coating on the paper might be melted under the residual heat.  Also the wax paper is not really non-stick, whereas parchment paper is non-stick, and oven safe.
4. Let  the well-formed rectangle cool completely.  Cut the rectangle into your favorite size, and serve.  Here is a picture with two versions of the finished product.  The left-hand-side is the version with pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, and cashews (but no cranberries; and the pieces were tossed in milk powder).  The right side shows the version with roasted peanuts and cranberries. To store the pieces, use parchment paper in between layers, as the pieces are still very sticky.  Might be worth the efforts to wrap the pieces in clear cellophane caramel wrappers (available from online sources, such as this site).  Note- Tossing the pieces in small amount of milk powder can make the pieces less sticky.