A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner. – Samuel Johnson

There are days when you crave nothing but simple comfort food for lunch or dinner. For some, that could mean a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch or cereal for dinner. It usually starts after a long day of work or school — you come home, open the refrigerator, and the usual suspects appear: milk, eggs, condiments, and perhaps a partial loaf of bread. In my house, it would be pretty normal to also find leftover rice. If my mood points me in the direction of quickly escaping back to the familiarity and comfort of my mother’s kitchen, I reach for the eggs. My mother used to (and still does, if I make a special request) prepare what she calls “wallet eggs,” which is literally translated from Cantonese to describe fried eggs with runny yolks. The yolk, if you will, is the money! Needless to say, the fried egg white is the tasty wallet to keep it all inside.

This easily becomes my effortless, go-to food for the hectic days, which is becoming more frequent now that school is in full swing! At the same time, I still get my protein, starch, and vegetables if I plan accordingly. Sounds like a winner to me

Wallet Eggs Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 generous tablespoon canola oil
• Freshlycracked black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 stalk scallion, thinly sliced (optional)
• Small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
• 1 cup steamed rice (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat saute pan to medium high heat. Add oil and tilt pan to spread evenly.
2. Crack eggs individually on opposite sides of the pan to avoid contact with each other. Allow egg to solidify and brown on one side, about 1-2 minutes. Add black pepper during this wait. Flip eggs when bottoms are solidified; allow to cook for an additional minute, but adjust according to your preference of how runny you prefer your eggs to be.
3. Serve immediately over white rice. Garnish with oyster sauce, scallions, and cilantro as desired.

Tools

• Saute pan
• Spatula
• Chef knife

Selina’s Notes

• Regular oyster sauce can be substituted with vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom based). If using regular, I prefer Lee Kum Kee
• To create a drizzle effect with oyster sauce, use a plastic squeeze bottle or create a makeshift piping bag using a sandwich bag and simply snip off the end to dispense!
• To make this a full meal, serve with salad or stir-fried leafy greens, such as bok choy or Chinese broccoli

Feeding people graciously and lovingly is one of life’s simplest pleasures: a most basic way of making life better for someone at least for awhile. — Anna Thomas

Black bean sauce reminds me of traditional Cantonese home-style cooking. I grew up having a variety of dishes made with black beans and black bean sauce, including fish, clams, chicken, spare ribs; it’s a simple go-to ingredient for a quick stir-fry or a steam. If you’ve never had it before, it’s very pungent, briny, and aromatic.  The black beans are really fermented soy beans, giving the sauce a unique intense flavor that kind of jumps in your mouth.

I’ve been experimenting with using black bean sauce in a chicken and bell pepper combination for a few years. You may or may not find this in a restaurant, but to me, it’s an easy and quick comfort food dish that reminds me of home. It’s also best served with freshly steamed rice on the side, which perfectly complements and lightens the intensity of the sauce.

Black Bean Chicken and Peppers Recipe

Preparation Time: Approximately 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken thigh, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil, divided
• 3 teaspoons corn starch, divided
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce (e.g., Lee Kum Kee brand)
• 1 stalk scallion, thinly sliced
• Handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Marinate chicken: In a mixing bowl, add soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1 teaspoon corn starch into chicken. Stir to combine.
2. Prepare quick gravy: Mix remaining corn starch and water; set aside.
3. Stir-fry: Heat oil over medium-high to high heat in a pan until oil is nearly steamy. Gently add black bean garlic sauce and quickly stir for 5-10 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry (chow!) for 2 minutes or until halfway cooked. Add peppers and stir until chicken is fully cooked and peppers are crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Add corn starch gravy mixture and cook for an additional minute.
4. Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Tools

• Mixing bowl
• Small bowl
• Wok or sauté pan
• Spatula or wooden spoon

Selina’s Notes

• Wear an apron or something that you don’t mind getting splattered on! The sauce tends to splatter during the stir-fry step.
• You may substitute and/or supplement bell peppers with onions and white button mushrooms.
• I don’t recommend using more than the 3/4 pounds of chicken in one batch. The more chicken in the wok, the less smoky wok flavor it gives off. The same concept applies when pan-searing meats; overcrowding is never a good thing!

You may be wondering, what exactly is Chinese broccoli? It is kind of a cross between the common broccoli and kale — it has dark leafy greens and thick stems that are tender and crisp when cooked. If the broccoli is not as fresh or has aged, the stems become somewhat bitter, my least favorite part as a kid (actually even now). My mother tells me that Chinese broccoli is best and ‘sweetest’ in the winter because that is when it gets the most rainfall.

For nostalgic purposes, I have a clear childhood memory of eating at a local Chinese restaurant, Seafood House (that was the name at the time…it no longer exists), at 25th and El Camino Real in San Mateo, CA. My family would go to this place at least once a month because the food was decent and we were familiar with the wait staff there. It was kind of safe haven on any given weekend day that we didn’t feel like cooking. One time, a table near us wanted to order beef broccoli, but only with the regular type of broccoli, not gai-lan. To their astonishment, the restaurant didn’t have regular broccoli, so they ended up leaving. As a kid, I was utterly confused by the entire scene, but I moved on (yet I still remember it to this day).

Back to the matter at hand — preparing Chinese beef broccoli is very similar to its American counterpart. The beef stir-fry process is essentially the same, and the only small differences are in the broccoli preparation. To get the broccoli ready for cooking, it is important to trim the ends to rid any chewiness in the stems. I typically use a paring knife to individually trim each stem, because sometimes not all stems are created equal If you’re in a hurry, though, feel free to trim by the bunch. Also, it’s important to wash gai-lan thoroughly in a water bath as there could be dirt or little critters hidden in the leaves (let’s hope not). Sometimes my mother would add a little salt to the water bath to aid the process.

Perfect Chinese Beef Broccoli  Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 pound Chinese broccoli (about 1 bunch), washed thoroughly, ends trimmed, roughly cut into 2-3 inch pieces
• 1/2 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain (about 1 inch long should be bite-sized)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• Salt and pepper
• Dash of baking soda
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, plus more as necessary
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (Chia Fan brand)

Tools

• Medium mixing bowl
• Chef knife and cutting board
• Paring knife
• Medium stock pot
• Colander
• Skillet or wok
• Tongs or wooden spoon

Preparation

1. Pre-work: Before handling the meat, bring a medium stock pot of water to a boil. Divide the flank steak into 1-inch sections along the lengthy fibers (see below). Thinly slice each section against the grain, about ¼ inches each slice, and place into mixing bowl. Toss beef together with soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon oil, and corn starch. Let it marinate until broccoli prep is done.
2. Prepare the Chinese broccoli as described above.
3. Blanch ‘n fry: Add a dash of baking soda to the water bath (for tenderness). Place Chinese broccoli in boiling water and blanch until water comes to a light boil again. Promptly drain in colander (no need to rinse with cold water here). It’s a very quick dip in the hot tub here. Heat skillet on high heat with 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt. When oil comes to a smoking point (it should be fragrant at this point), toss in broccoli and stir constantly for about 20-30 seconds. Add a scant dash of oyster sauce and toss. Transfer to a serving plate and reserve.
4. Beef time: In the same heated skillet, add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic and ginger and vigorously stir for 5 seconds to avoid burning. Immediately add in marinated beef, followed by oyster sauce as soon as beef changes color (semi pink, semi brown at this point). Stir fry until beef is almost all browned. Lightly season with course black pepper. Finish the beef with rice wine; sauce should thicken at this point. Remove from heat and pour over cooked broccoli. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Selina’s Notes

• You will notice that this is virtually the same recipe as Perfect Beef Broccoli, only with a few modifications to accommodate Chinese broccoli.
• Be careful not to overcook the beef because carry over cooking is quite common after food is removed from the heat source. However, I generally have a preference for medium-rare to medium cooked beef…

Similar to Latin American tamales, I grew up eating the Chinese variation of this family classic, also known as zhong (in Cantonese), or zhongzi (in Mandarin). The term zhong literally means rice dumpling. Tamales and zhong share similar characteristics in that both are wrapped in various types of leaves and take many hours, if not more, to make. I can also safely say that both are typically eaten for special occasions. Notice that I said typically – I have the luxury of enjoying them all year-round because of my awesome relatives who make them for me.

The history behind zhong came about to honor Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet who ended his life in a river due to political events. According to popular legend, villagers paid respect to Qu by throwing packets of rice into the river so that fish and other creatures would not consume his body. Zhong now remains as a traditional Chinese food that is enjoyed among families during the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (sometimes around June of of the Gregorian calendar). For me, I suppose I honor Qu at all times of the year

So what exactly is inside a tetrahedral-shaped, bamboo leaf wrapped zhong? There are many varieties, but I have grown up eating zhong with a combination (sometimes all at once if I’m lucky) of the following:

• Glutinous white rice
• Roasted and/or marinated pork
• Shitake mushroom
• Preserved salted egg yolk
• Peanuts
• Mung beans
• Green split peas
• Chinese sausage
• Chestnuts
• Dried shrimp

Yes, this is quite a weird hodgepodge of ingredients that a normal person would probably not put together voluntarily. When used independently, I would say these are pretty typical ingredients in southern Chinese cuisine. Where and when my relatives grew up, not many people could afford these ingredients (or they just weren’t available), so these were considered gourmet in a villager’s perspective. However, the gourmet part of it is still true; many store-bought versions have a fraction of the above ingredients, and some might only have a piece of meat inside. I consider them a wealth of goodies because they all contribute to a rich and flavorful food that truly satisfies your hunger. The bamboo leaves give the zhong an incredibly scrumptious earthy flavor that captures the essence of the leaves. The glutinous rice also brings it all together in a sticky, gooey fashion.

The zhong making process is pretty onerous, and I applaud my relatives for putting so much effort into making them for me. You may also be asking, what could be so complicated about wrapping rice and other goods in some leaves? The main ingredients that hold it together actually require the most work, which are the bamboo leaves and rice. Both ingredients require overnight soaking, and on top of that, the bamboo leaves also need to be washed and scrubbed, one by one. When purchased, the leaves come dry and brittle, so they need some attentive care. The filling ingredients are not as complicated, but the process of gathering and preparing them for zhong-making takes time. The pork typically needs to be marinated, the salted egg yolks (usually duck eggs) need to be separated from the whites, the shitake mushrooms need soaking to revive them from the dried form, and so forth. The rice is flavored with salt and sometimes a pinch of five spice powder.

Once all the ingredients are ready to go, they need to come together somehow. To me, the hardest part is packaging a zhong together to look like a tetrahedral cylinder shape as perfectly shown in the above pictures. I have tried it before alongside with my great aunt, and mine looked awful compared to her perfect ones in which she completes at 10 times the speed of me. And finally, after the wrapping part is finished, the zhong need to be cooked by being simmered in a large stockpot for several hours.

The cooked zhong can then be eaten immediately or cooled for freezer storage. As a busy traveling person, the freezer option works best for me. My freezer is stocked full of zhong, ready to eat whenever I feel like it. I simply microwave one in a bowl, submerged in water, for 5-6 minutes. It’s fabulous. Mine get shipped in my 21″ carry-on luggage bag when I travel from CA to IL – I always wonder if the TSA personnel ever think they are grenades or something from the X-ray machine.

It’s always fun to untie the kitchen twine that holds the zhong together and slowly unravel the leaves, getting one step closer to the yummy goodies inside. I think this process is somehow quicker when one is hungry, too:

I have to be careful because it’s extremely hot, and the steam can be painful. Once unwrapped, the specimen looks like such:

Now it is time to dissect and demystify a zhong, gently splitting it right down the middle (no scalpel needed here; chopsticks work fine):

See, that’s all there is to it! It’s not that foreign anymore, right?

And just as savory French crepes have a sweet counterpart, there is a sweet version of zhong, too (called gan sui zhong in Cantonese, or jianshui zhongzi in Mandarin). I may feature that varietal in a future post. Until next time, readers!

For me, beef broccoli is one of my staple comfort foods that I have shared with family, friends, and coworkers over the last several years. It has been a big hit at potlucks, dinner parties, date night, bring-to-work lunch, and dinner-for-one. It seems to be well liked by most (except for vegetarians – sorry my friends!), even those who aren’t so fond of (or familiar with) Chinese food.

The recipe here is my very own, and I cannot find anything else closely similar to it on the Internet. I have typically seen recipes that combine both beef and broccoli in the wok to incorporate the sauce. Some recipes even call for an entire cup of oil using ingredient quantities just slightly above mine – no wonder Chinese food is often plagued by the image of being greasy. My version separates the beef and broccoli until the very last minute, and it is also lighter on the oil. The end result: crisp, vibrant, green broccoli topped with perfectly tender, flavorful slices of beef steak, all without being drowned in gloppy sauce. There is definitely sauce, of course, but just not in an excessive amount. If you’re a fan of *gulp* Panda Express or PF Chang’s, you will boycott their versions.

It was a challenge writing this recipe because it is definitely one that I eyeball and go off my memory, as if I can do this in my sleep. You know, a little dabble of this, and a couple splashes of that kind of thing. Fear not, though – the process is very simple once you get used to it.

Beef Broccoli Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain (about 1 inch long should be bite-sized)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• Salt and pepper
• 2 heads of broccoli (florets and trimmed stems), about 4 cups
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (Chia Fan brand)

Tools

• Medium mixing bowl
• Chef knife and cutting board
• Paring knife
• Medium stock pot
• Colander
• Skillet or wok
• Tongs or wooden spoon

Preparation

1. Pre-work: Before handling the meat, bring a medium stock pot of water to a boil. Divide the flank steak into 1-inch sections along the lengthy fibers (see below). Thinly slice each section against the grain, about ¼ inches each slice, and place into mixing bowl. Toss beef together with soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon oil, and corn starch. Let it marinate until broccoli prep is done.

   

   

2. Prep the broccoli by cutting about an inch off the tough part of the stem. Using a paring knife, peel away the tough layer off the stems and florets. The florets should be bite size, and the trimmed stems should be thin for even cooking.
   
3. Blanch ‘n fry: Place broccoli in boiling water and blanch until water comes to a light boil again. Promptly drain in colander (no need to rinse with cold water here). It’s a very quick dip in the hot tub here.



Heat the skillet on high heat with 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt. When oil comes to a smoking point (it should be fragrant at this point), toss in broccoli and stir constantly for about 15-20 seconds. Transfer to a serving plate and reserve.

In the same heated skillet, add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic and ginger and vigorously stir for 5 seconds to avoid burning. Immediately add in marinated beef, followed by oyster sauce as soon as beef changes color (semi pink, semi brown at this point). Stir fry until beef is almost all browned. Lightly season with course black pepper. Finish the beef with rice wine; sauce should thicken at this point. Remove from heat and pour over cooked broccoli.

The final product:

A meal like this cannot be complete without steamed white or brown rice to go with it, right?

Now that’s more like it. Enjoy!

Selina’s Notes

• Once the ingredients are all prepared, this is a very quick cooking dish. To prep in advance, you may wash and cut broccoli beforehand. The beef can also be marinated overnight, but without the corn starch until ready to cook. If the corn starch is left in overnight, it will harden.
• If you’re doubling the recipe, the broccoli can be cooked in a double batch during the blanch ‘n fry step. However, I’d suggest cooking the beef in two batches.
• Most people will not peel the tough portion off the florets, especially in restaurants because it takes  longer to prep. However, my mother taught me to cut broccoli this way because the outer layer is chewy and takes longer to cook otherwise.

The version below is my own variation of fried rice I learned from my mother in my childhood days. It is also very ‘vanilla’ because the ingredients are fairly basic and ordinary. Learning the method is foundational; once the process is down, the possibilities are endless. Since it only takes 10 minutes, it is meat-free and the eggs are what I call freestyle (in the normal version, I neatly dice the eggs after being cooked pancake-omelet style). Of course, if you happen to have deli meat or other prepared meat on hand, throw it on in! Cooking fried rice is a time to be creative.

A quick background behind this recipe – I love the concept of quick cooking (e.g., 30-Minute Meals) when the situation calls for it, and I was put up to the test one day when Sean called me on his way home from work: “I’m going to be home in 15 minutes. Is there anything to eat?” I perused the pantry and fridge and told him I’d figure something out. Sure enough, there was a bowl of leftover white rice and a carton of eggs in the fridge. The freezer was also stocked with peas and carrots (I don’t know when it isn’t!). Hence, 10-minute fried rice came to life. It’s slightly sweet from the peas, carrots, and oyster sauce, yet savory from the eggs and rice. The oyster and soy sauces also give the fried rice an earthy, golden color. Enjoy!

10-Minute Fried Rice Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots mix, unthawed
• Salt and pepper
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice (preferably jasmine)
• 2 tablespoons oyster flavored sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee brand; vegetarian variety available)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (preferably Kikkoman brand)
• 2 stalks scallion, finely sliced at a diagonal (optional)
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)

Tools

• Chef knife and cutting board
• Large wok (or skillet)
• Wooden spoon
• 2 small mixing bowls

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok on high. When oil is almost visibly steaming, add frozen peas and carrot mix and stir frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until vegetables are heated through and tender. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
2. Using the same wok, adjust heat to medium-high and bring remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt to a steaming point. Toss in cooked rice and stir frequently to avoid sticking. Immediately add oyster sauce and soy sauce and mix until well distributed.
3. Add in reserved peas and carrots and beaten eggs and stir until eggs are cooked and ingredients are well combined, about 3 minutes. Stir in scallions and cilantro if desired.