Custard Pudding

Once again with the help of my friends, I have a chance to make something that i would never have thought of.
Due to insufficient equipments at home, i could only use what i can find.

Ingredients:
- Caramel -
4 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Water
1½~2 tbsp Hot Water

- Egg Mixture -
2 Eggs
250ml Milk (8.45 fl oz)
5 tbsp Sugar

First butter the pudding molds (130ml) to prevent the pudding from sticking.
Then start making caramel. Put the sugar and water in a pot. Keep it at medium heat. Once the surface becomes lightly yellow, swirl the pot and caramelized the sugar until it become brownish yellow. Then quickly add the hot water to the caramel and swirl the pot to even out the caramel. Pour them evenly into the pudding molds.
Then for the egg mixture. Crack the eggs and lightly beat them in a bowl. Don't let the whisk leave the bottom of the bowl to avoid creating foam. Pour the milk to a pot and put in the sugar. Heat the milk, keep stirring, until the sugar has melted. Pour the milk mixture to the egg. Keep whisking but avoiding making bubbles and foams. Sift the egg mixture and remove any foam from the mixture. Pour in the egg mixture to the mold evenly.

Cover each of the mold with a aluminum foil. This prevents the egg from getting dry and also help spread the heat evenly. For the steamer, add water that covers half of the mold. Put a thick towel on the bottom of the steamer to absorb some of the heat. The water should not be to hot to the point where it is boiling. Steam for 20minutes. Cool them and put them in the fridge.

When serve, scrap the side of the mold and light tap the sides of the mold to make a gap. The pudding will come out smoothly and it will be ready to serve!

Lemon Meringue Pie

After 3 months of laziness, i am back online to update my blog thanks to my friend :)
Although i have stopped updating i have NOT stopped doing what i love the most. Cooking.
Some of my friends asked, how could you think of so many different desserts and meals to make each day? Thanks to my roomate and neighbors who provide the ideas and of course motivation (or maybe forceful demands) that i could not resist.
Right after thanksigiving break, everyone is stuffed with happiness in their stomach. While turkey might be a once a year thing, pies are not! This year i made a lemon meringue pie for my aunt and gave a perfect touch to our thanksgiving brunch.
This pie is easy to make and quick, perfect for beginners :)
Ingredients:
A 9 inch pie crust (i bought graham cracker crust)
A can of sweetened condense milk
4 lemons
1 tsp of lemon zest
3 large eggs (yolk and white should be seperated)
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

This pie contains raw egg so if you are not a fan of uncooked eggs this might not be for you.
Preheat the oven to 325 degree.
In a big bowl, pour in the can of condensed milk, squeeze all 4 of the lemons and add in the lemon zest. (you could add 3 lemons instead if you don't like it as sour) Add in the egg yolks and mix them together. Set aside.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg white to ensure fluffiness. I used a whisk instead of an electric beater to beat the egg whites but it is absolutely not recommended. Put the beater on high and slowly add in the sugar. Then change it to medium until the egg white could stand.

Pour the milk mixture to the pie and then pour the egg white on top. Make sure all of the sides are sealed with the egg whites. You could spread the egg white smoothly or just dirt the top. Then put it in the oven for 10-15 to brown. Let it cool and the pie is ready to be served!

There are a lot more desserts recipe coming up and some restaurants review from Hong Kong!

Shanghai Wontons

This is my family's traditional food. My brothers and I eat these wontons growing up and it is time for me to inherit this wrapping skills for my future generations.

Besides, this is a great thank you present instead of buying pens and mugs. Food is always welcome :)

There are two versions of wontons we can make, one is the vegetable and pork, another one is tofu with dried shrimp. I made the vegetable and pork because i personally do not like the tofu one in soup. But it is great when pan fried.

Ingredients:

Ground pork (best use the ones with fat)

Chopped Bak Choy (big fat ones that has white stems)

Wonton wrapper (you could make it yourself but i bought mine in an asian market)

To marinate the pork, use light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, wine, sugar and sesame oil. More wine and sesame oil is preferred. 

Chopped the bak choy and fry it with ginger and a little salt. Let it cool while the pork is marinating.

After the bak choy is cool, add them into the pork and mix them together. 

Now we are ready to wrap the wontons.

First take a piece of wrapper and scoop a small portion of pork mix in the middle. Using water to wet the four sides of the wrapper and fold it in half. Then flip the longer side up and using your middle finger as the center, curl the two side towards the middle. Then close the wonton with some water.

The wontons should look like a gold sycee. (yuanbao)

Boil a pot of water and put in the wontons. Give them enough free space to move around. Once the wonton rise to the top and the filling is cooked, they are ready to serve. To make a simple soup, add some soy sauce, sesame oil and scallion into the boiled water.

If you want to keep the wontons, DO NOT cook them first. Once wrapped, put them on a piece of parchment paper and put them in the freezer. 

This is a great dish for any meal and any occasion. Enjoy :)

wonton wrapper

pork mix

steam chicken rice on lotus leaf

Invited some friends over for a family style dinner. I am hesitant in buying groceries because this is my last week in Boston. Looking through chinese recipes, i see steam chicken wrapped with lotus leaf. There is a famous chinese dim sum that used the same technique but they use sticky rice and of course added a lot more other ingredients into this tiny squared dim sum. 

I used rice instead and only added chicken and mushroom into this dish.

You could get the dry lotus leaf in chinese supermarket. First boil some water and put in the leaf for 1-2 minutes. This help soften the leaf and brings out the aroma of the leaf.

First soak the dry mushrooms.

Then cut up the chicken (i used thighs) and marinate them. 

I did not have enough time that night, but if you use egg white and corn starch to marinate the chicken for half and hour, the chicken would be very smooth and chewy.

Then use light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, chinese wine and chopped ginger to marinate for at least two hours. (these are the basic ingredients for marinating most of the chinese meat.)

You could wrap the chicken into the lotus leaf and add some salty ham, scallion, ginger and wine to make steam chicken. This would take around 20 min on high heat.

For me, i cooked the rice with a rice cooker (took it out 5 minutes before it clicks) 

Put the rice in the center of the lotus leaf and add the soaked mushroom.

At the meantime, i slightly fry the chicken with chinese sausages. Fry till half cooked and put everything on top of the rice. Wrap the lotus leaf and put it in a steamer for around 10-15 minutes. 

Make sure the chicken is cooked, and the rice is ready to serve!

I always make sure there is a veggie dish in my meal therefore i made my favorite dish that my mom cooks at home. 

Soak the 'wood ear' fungus. You can purchase them in any chinese markets.

Then peel the chinese okra and cut them into pieces. 

Chop up some garlic. Add oil to the pan and add in the garlic when the oil is heated. Add the okra and stir fry them for a minute. Add in the fungus. For the sauce, i added some oyster sauce, chicken broth and sugar. Taste the dish and add a suitable amount of salt. Add in corn starch to thicken the sauce. Cover the pan and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, until the okra is soft and the dish is ready! You could also add in sliced beef into this dish.

basa fillet--asian fusion

With the weather getting nicer in the Boston, i have a better mood to think different combinations of ingredients and finally take the time to nicely plate my dish. For dinner: Ginger-miso basa fillet in shitake mushroom broth.

Ingredients: 

Fish fillet

Miso -- 2 tablespoons

Chopped ginger and leeks -- 1 tablespoon

A little sake, mirin and vegetable oil

Crust:

Chopped pecan and Panko (1:1 ratio)

Broth: 

Shitake mushroom -- 2-3 pieces

Miso -- 1-2 tablespoons

Water -- 2 cups

Chopped leeks -- 1 tablespoon

First off, salt and pepper the fillet for about 5-10 minutes.

During that time, chop up the ingredients needed for the pan frying the fish and start boiling the mushroom broth.
Thinly sliced 2-3 shitake mushrooms. Boil water with miso. Do not put too much. Add water if too salty. Chop some leeks and add to the broth as well. Boil until mushroom is soft and you can let it cool.
I added a small portion of udon noodles to make it a more substantial meal.
For the udon, cook until al dente and put them in ice cold water. Place them on the dish and pour the soup in when the fish is ready.

 Mix all of the ingredients for the ginger-miso paste. Taste, if too salty, you could add some sugar or warm water.

Wash off the salt and pepper on the fish and dry. Spread a thin layer of paste on one side of the fish. Make sure it covers the whole fish.
Then sprinkle the crumb mix. Press down the crumbs with your fingers. Make sure they are stuck on the paste.

Then pour a thin layer of oil on a pan. When the oil is hot, place the fish on the pan, crumb side facing down. Turn the fire to medium heat and let it fry for around 2-3 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side.

Pour in the soup after placing the udon on the dish.
Once the fish is done, place it on top of the udon and sprinkle some chopped leeks and dinner is ready.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe referenced: Bon Appetit

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2006/12/ginger_miso_striped_bass_in_shiitake_mushroom_broth

a traditional chinese dinner. Cream of corn fillet and cold tofu

Having been in Boston for close to 2 month, suddenly crave traditional chinese food. When i was young, i go to work with my dad and for lunch, we always order take out lunch boxes. My favorite choice is cream of corn with fish fillet. It is very easy to recreate this dish but of course it is most delicious when i am eating with my dad at his office :) good times.
I used frozen basa fillet, a white fish where you can find in most the chinese supermarket. For the sauce, just buy any kind of canned mashed sweet corn. I also used salmon this time because i have a small piece left over but i do not recommend salmon because the flavor of the salmon is too strong and it clashes with the corn sauce. 

First flavor the fish with white pepper and salt. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Cover the fillet with a thin layer of flour then dip them in a bowl of whipped egg. The fillet cook pretty fast depending on the thickness. Once they are cooked, around 2-3 minutes, put them on the paper towel layered plate.


Heat up a pot and pour in the can of corn. Add some water so that the mixture is not too thick. Flavor with a little salt and pepper. Place the cooked rice and fish on a place and pour the sauce on the fish.

Another dish is quick and easy for the summer.

Cold tofu with thousand year egg. You can get them in any chinese supermarket. Cut everything in cubes and plate them. Scoop a spoonful of pork floss on top. (I ran out of pork floss therefore i didn't put it in)

For the sauce, add soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar and it is ready to serve. If you like spicy, you could chop some red chilli pepper in the sauce.

Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake -- burger

My best food buddy found out about this restaurant and we went to try out their famous burger.
It's walking distance from newbury street and you could also take the T and get off at Arlington.
When you walk in, on your right there is a full bar and the lights are dimmed. The vibe is relaxing and perfect for a drink with a friend.
We ordered a chipotle wings to share. There are around 8 pieces of chicken, rubbed with smoked jalapeño and served with poblano blue cheese. The wings are not too spicy and the meat is very juicy.
Next up our main course.
I ordered the Prime Rib Poe Dunker: Peppercorn-rubbed, shaved prime rib with brie, horseradish-sage mayo, black lava sea salt, jalapeno powder & onion broth dipping sauce
The description is very attractive but the sandwich is not as flavorful. The prime rib was soft but because the onion broth dipping sauce was too salty and it covered the flavor of the rib and mayo.
Should have ordered the Burger instead.
My friend ordered the Poe Burger: Kobe beef burger stuffed with lobster, foie gras & black truffles & served with house-cured whiskey bacon, avocado & Irish porter cheese on brioche
Fantastic. The beef is perfectly cooked and you could taste every ingredients in the burger. The chewiness of the lobster, the rich and creamy foie gras and the aromatic black truffles. Personally i think the bacon is too thick but it still hasn't over power the patty. The avocado also had creaminess to the burger too. Overall this burger is splashing with flavors but also very very heavy. One more side note, their fries is crispy, thick and delicious. 
You should definitely go try out some of the other food on the menu and give me some comments. Go try out the burger too! Worth it.

Poe's Kitchen at the Rattlesnake
384 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02215
T: 617.859.8555
www.rattlesnakebar.com/