Taro, Tofu and Mushroom Stir-fry

This is one of the easiest dishes I have ever prepared... and with only 4 major ingredients, too!

The secret to the dish is a good XO sauce!

Basically saute onions, garlic and ginger.  Add a tablespoon of XO sauce and let the sauce cook for several seconds.  Add the taro (sliced into thick strips) and stir fry until almost done.  Throw in cubed tofu (1 big block of tofu) and mushrooms (any kind you prefer is fine) and stir fry some more.  Adjust seasonings and then you're done!

Baked Stuffed Mushrooms

I have been wanting to make stuffed mushrooms but I never found large enough mushrooms until the other day.  They were pricey, but I could pick and choose so I picked 18 large ones!

This is one of those recipes that is really not a recipe.  I did not measure!  But it is not difficult.  It is so easy I was done in about 45 minutes!

The first thing to do is preheat the oven (375F) and butter the muffin or cupcake pans.  My secret here is really the muffin tins.  Most recipes suggest a baking sheet lined with parchment paper but I encountered a bit of a problem - some mushrooms did not have flat tops and would be lopsided.  I nearly gave up then until I saw the cupcake tin (I used the day before) air-drying on the kitchen rack then it hit me!  I could put the mushrooms in each cavity and the mushrooms would stay put.

So anyway, clean the mushrooms - DO NOT WASH!  Just scrub lightly with a vegetable brush.  Then take the stems off.

Dump the stems in a food processor.  Add maybe about 120 grams of spiced ham, and grated cheese (around 200 grams).  Process until the mixture is in rough chunks then add a couple large pinches of sea salt and a small handful of breadcrumbs.  Process some more.  Test mixture, if it sticks together when squeezed, it is ready!   

Place the mixture in a (disposable) piping bag; cut the tip.  Arrange the mushrooms in the muffin tins, cap side down.  Then pipe the filling in.

See how nicely lined up they are!  The final step is to place a piece of thinly sliced cheese on top.

Bake until done (honestly it is not take long!).  Serve immediately

Chinese-Style Beef and Mushroom Stir-fry

I've been cooking beef dishes more and more lately simply because the little girl seems to eat more when beef is on the table.  Not that she eats the beef itself, but she likes the sauce mixed with her rice.  So what I do is mince the cooked beef finely and add them to the rice with the sauce!

500 grams sirloin
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced thinly
200 grams fresh button mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
cornstarch slurry

Slice the beef as thinly as possible and marinate in the oyster sauce and soy sauce mix for about 20 minutes.

Saute the garlic and onion until soft.  Add the sliced mushrooms.  When the mushrooms are lightly browned, put the beef (and all the marinade) in the pan and stir fry.  I usually add about 1/4 cup of hot water because I want more sauce!  Season to taste and then thicken with cornstarch slurry.  Serve immediately!

XO Braised Straw Mushrooms with Shrimp & Crabstick

This is actually a variation of my favorite Seafood and Mushroom Medley.  Basically, it's a simpler (scaled down) version.  The original medley uses an extensive mix of seafood and mushrooms, but this simple version is just with shrimp, crabstick and straw mushrooms.  What sets it apart is the XO sauce, which is a spicy seafood-based condiment in Chinese cooking.

We got the fresh straw mushrooms from the weekend market.

Here's the recipe:

about 300 to 400 grams fresh shrimps, cleaned and shelled
5 pieces crabsticks (sashimi quality)
500 grams fresh straw mushrooms

1 thumb of ginger, sliced thinly
1 small onion, minced finely
2 to 3 teaspoons XO sauce, or to taste
1 tbsp. glutinous rice wine
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
2 tbsp. premium oyster sauce
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
cornstarch slurry

Saute ginger and onions.  Add XO sauce and stir fry a few seconds.  Add the shrimps.  Splash with rice wine. When the shrimps are halfway done, add the mushrooms.

Season with soy sauce and and oyster sauce, as welll as salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer a few minutes.  The mixture should turn "soupy" (from the mushrooms), otherwise, add some hot water or vegetable stock.  Add the crabstick; stir gently until the crabstick breaks apart.  Thicken with cornstarch slurry.  Adjust seasonings.

As always, I recommend being cautious with sauces (soy and oyster, or even the XO sauce) because different brands may have different levels or saltiness, spiciness, etc.  It is always better to season lightly and add if it needs it because it is really difficult to reduce or fix excessive flavors.

Shredded Pork with Enoki

I love mushrooms in general.  Golden mushrooms, or enoki, in particular, is a favorite of mine!  Thank goodness they're more readily available these days.

And here's one of my favorite ways of cooking enoki -

It's an easy stir fry dish that's on the table in about 30 minutes or so... assuming the meat is not frozen, that is.

The best cut of pork for this dish is tenderloin.  Slice about 250 grams of pork tenderloin into strips (my mom called them shreds, hence the title) and  marinate (for about 15 minutes) in a mix of 1 tablespoon shao xing wine, 1-1/2 tablespoons light soya sauce, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch and about 1/2 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns.

While the meat is marinating, prepare the other ingredients - (1) about 3 thin slices of ginger, (2) 1 small onion, sliced thinly, (3) scallop or abalone XO sauce, to taste [I use about 1 teaspoon], (4) 200 to 300 grams golden mushrooms, cleaned and pulled apart into "shreds", and (5) 2 egg whites, lighlty beaten.

Heat some oil in a wok until very hot and saute the ginger and sliced onions.  When the ginger browns and the onions are soft, toss in the XO sauce and saute the mixture briefly.   Give the pork shreds a quick stir and drop into the hot wok, stir-frying until the pork shrinks a little (indicating that it's halfway to being done).  The mixture may appear quite oily.  Add the mushrooms and stir (at this point I usually add another tablespoon or so of soya sauce but be careful because some soy sauces are saltier than others; also, a friend of mine adds half a teaspoon of brown sugar and swears that the dish is better, but I've never tried it).  After a several minutes, the enoki should be "sweating" and the dish will appear soupier and less oily.  Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings according to your preference.  Pour in the egg whites while stirring the wok to break apart the egg whites.  Turn off the heat.  Serve immediately!

Red Braised Chicken

It started out with me looking for a chicken recipe... because I had a pack of skinless chicken thighs that I had to cook (it had been overstaying in the freezer already!)

But I really didn't have time to look for a recipe so I decided to "re-make" a pork recipe, specifically the Red Braised Pork.

But I added bamboo shoots and mushrooms.

Yummmyyy!!!  It was a great way to cook the chicken!  And it was ready in about 40 minutes, too.

Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie

I was stuck at home.  And I was bored.  So I started daydreaming.  And remembered the delicious chicken and mushroom (hand) pie I used to eat.  Then I yearned.

So I cooked.

And it was delicious!

Next time, I want to make individual hand (or mini) pies.

I basically followed the recipe in this book (image courtesy of Google images):

Of course I made some changes.

Instead of leeks, I used a large onion.  Instead of fresh mushrooms, I used canned button and straw mushrooms (both sliced).  I also skipped the red peppers, peas and/or carrots (and increased the chicken to about 3 cups).  I also used one of my mom's pie crust recipes, instead of the pastry topper in the recipe, although to be perfectly honest, the recipe is very similar.  (I also forgot the make vents (slits) in the crust, but it still turned out ok.)

I really want to make hand pies or mini pies next time...

Sauteed Mushrooms

I love fresh mushrooms.  The usual ones we find are shitake, enoki, oyster, Korean shimeji, Korean king oyster, button mushrooms... but while on a road trip up north, I found these...

fresh straw mushrooms:

And these fresh mushrooms whose name I don't know:

I cooked the mushrooms in a simple way that highlights their natural taste and exceptional texture... sauteed in butter with onions.

I found the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks - a real classic - and my first cookbook at the age of 10 (it was published in 1980).  My original copy was drowned by Ondoy but my brother found a replacement (the 1989 ed) for me!

image lifted from Google Images

The recipe can be found here. And I was quite faithful to the recipe.

I just love fresh mushrooms.  They have such a meaty flavor to them and the texture is different, with a bit of a "crunch"!  I just wish I could find these fresh mushrooms locally!

"Sabaw Itim"

When my brothers and I were little kids, we called this dish "Sabaw Itim", literally Black Soup. To our very young minds, we called it as we saw it - soup because it was so liquid-y and black because it was so dark in color.

It's actually chicken braised in soy sauce with mushrooms and boiled eggs.

It was a real favorite and we had it at least once a month!  In those days, the dish was so much more soupier (after all we all wanted the soup/sauce on our rice!) and the chicken pieces were various cuts from 1 whole chicken.  These days, chicken is available by specific parts, and boneless, no less!  My favorite part?  boneless, skinless chicken thigh!

The recipe:

about 600 to 700 grams of boneless chicken thighs (about 8 to 10 pieces)

Marinade:

2 to 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 bulb garlic, smashed
a small thumb of ginger, sliced into matchsticks
2 to 3 pieces large bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns
1/4 cup light soy sauce
dash of shao xing wine
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

150 grams small fresh shitake, about 15 to 18 small pieces
(or 60 grams dried shitake, about 15 to 18 small pieces)
4 to 6 pieces boiled eggs

1/2 to 1 cup water (or mushroom soaking liquid, chicken stock)

Mix marinade ingredients together; set aside for a while.

Clean the chicken pieces and slice each piece into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the size desired (remember that meat shrinks upon cooking so adjust accordingly).

Pour marinade over chicken and let stand for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, if using dried mushrooms, soak in warm water until softened; drain but keep the soaking liquid. Cut the stems off the mushrooms (fresh or dried ones). Rinse lightly to remove dirt and grime, if there is any.

When we were younger, this dish was cooked on the stove-top in a clay pot; it was soupier too. The way I make this dish now is with the magic cooker and with a lot less liquid.

The traditional way:

Smash some more garlic and saute them over low fire until lightly browned and deliciously fragrant! Then dump the chicken pieces and all marinade into the pot. Throw the rehydrated mushrooms in too (IF using fresh mushrooms, add them after 15 minutes of simmering.) Add enough liquid to barely cover the chicken pieces; mix to combine everything. Cook on medium or medium low and simmer until done, about 30 minutes or so, depending on the size of chicken pieces (smaller pieces cook faster). Top up with more liquid if the sauce is reduced too much OR if a soupier dish is desired. About 5 minutes before putting off the stove fire, add the boiled eggs. Adjust seasonings to desired taste. Off fire, add a few more drops of sesame oil. Top with chopped leeks. Serve while hot!

The magic cooker way:

Just dump the chicken pieces and marinade into the inner pot. Throw in mushrooms and boiled eggs, too. Add 1/2 cup of liquid; mix gently to combine everything (and not mutilate the eggs). Adjust seasonings. Cook on medium or medium low and simmer for 10 minutes (start counting when liquid starts bubbling). Place inner pot inside the outer chamber of the magic cooker. Leave for 30 to 45 minutes.  Just before serving, add a few more drops of sesame oil. Top with chopped leeks. Serve while hot!

DISH VARIATION - Use firm tofu instead of mushrooms, or use a variety of fresh mushrooms - shitake, button, Korean king oyster, straw, etc.

PERSONAL NOTES -

The soaking liquid of the dried mushrooms is very flavorful, but some find it too strong, in which case use only 1/4 of the soaking liquid and 1/4 cup or more of water or stock. Or omit the soaking liquid altogether.

If using dried mushrooms and their soaking liquid, the sauce of the dish will have a stronger, more pronounced flavor. If using fresh mushrooms, the dish has a more subtle, delicate flavor. It's delicious either way. Using different kinds of fresh mushrooms gives more dimension to the dish.

The original recipe (from my mom's files) has 1/2 tablespoon sugar as an ingredient in the marinade but I've always skipped it.  Also, dark (and salty) soy sauce was traditionally used but I'm happy with my light soya sauce (and hubby is ok with it as well) which is less salty and does not impart a dark brown (almost black) color.

3 Cup Chicken

I got home earlier than expected, which meant I had a lot of time to make dinner.  Unfortunately, a quick look in the fridge and freezer yielded only a pack of boneless chicken thighs (yes, time to go to market!) and some shitake mushrooms.

Off I went to look for a recipe.  There were actually lots to choose from, but I wanted to pick a recipe from one of the Chinese cookbooks (a Chinese or Asian published Chinese cooking cookbook, that is) but given the limited ingredients I had in the kitchen, there really wasn't much choice.  I'd almost given up hope until I saw this recipe for 3 cup chicken.  It was relatively simple, and cooking time was just 20 minutes or so!

The dish was so named due to its 3 major ingredients, which, if tradition is believed, to be a cup each of soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine.  Personally I think a cup of each is too much unless the meat component is truly plentiful (a couple of kilos at least!) after all it would take too long to cook for the sauce to reduce if that were the case!

Anyway, here's my dish:

The recipe is from this book:

It's from my mom's collection, published in 1989 in Taiwan.  Apparently my mom bought it from National Bookstore for Php169.75 (the sticker was still stuck to the original plastic covering)!  The book is still in relatively good condition but the plastic covering had shrunk so I had to take it off to keep the front and back book cover from warping.  And when I opened the pages, the binding had "weakened" so I took out my handy-dandy glue and tried to fix it (in my amateurish way).

Anyway, while I was pretty faithful to the recipe, it has an ingredient (a Chinese herb) that I had no idea about so I just skipped it.  Here is what I did:

1.  After defrosting the 1 kilogram of skinless chicken thighs, I cleaned, trimmed, and rinsed the pieces then patted them dry.  Then I sliced them into bite-sized pieces, about 3 to 4 cuts per piece.

2.  Then I sliced 10 thin slices of ginger and smashed 1 whole head of garlic - not chopped just smashed whole, skins removed, of course.

3.  I also sliced a stalk of leeks, green part only.  And got out 3 pieces of dried chili.  And a large handful of shitake mushrooms (about 15 small pieces thereabouts).

4.  Then I measured the 3 major ingredients... sort of...  I thought a cup of each was too many so I tried 3/4 cup of each.  Except that my sesame oil only came up to about 1/3 cup so I filled the rest with canola oil.  I also used glutinous rice wine, and for the soy sauce I used partly thick soya sauce and partly light soy sauce.

The cooking part is easy too...

5.  Place a flat casserole dish on the stove.  Layer the ingredients:  ginger first, then garlic, then mushrooms, then chicken pieces.  Pour in the oil, rice wine and soy sauce.  My liquid ingredients covered everything.  Toss in the chili pieces.  Cook over high heat (uncovered).  When the pot boils, lower the heat and simmer about 15 to 20 minutes, until sauce is greatly reduced (I've seen this dish in restaurants with virtually no sauce but we like our dishes saucy, simply because we pour sauce over our rice!!!).  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  Serve hot, garnished with sliced leeks.

I liked it, but hubby commented that it was a bit too "soy sauce"-ish.  Hmmm... maybe next time I'll just use the light soy sauce and skip the thick soya sauce...

But this is a dish that I will definitely make again... perhaps with squid next time...

Light Mushroom and Basil Soup

Hubby and I first tasted this type of mushroom soup a long, long time ago... even before we were married.  Sadly the quaint, hole-in-a-wall cafe is no longer around and I sure miss that soup.

I found some fresh oyster mushrooms recently, and decided to try to recreate the soup.  This is what I used and what I did...

500g oyster mushrooms, cleaned
1 medium sweet onion, sliced thinly
50g butter
5 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 to 1/2 cup low fat milk
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 to 3 drops truffle oil, optional

Melt butter; saute onion slices until soft and fragrant.  Toss in the oyster mushrooms and cook until softened (and some mushroom liquid comes out).  Add in chicken stock.  Season lightly with salt.  When the stock simmers, add the milk and fresh basil leaves.  Simmer a couple of minutes and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Turn off flame and add truffle oil, if using.  Serve hot!

Hubby says it's quite good.  I think so too.  Unfortunately, I can't make a comparison to that one a long time ago but hey, if it's good enough for hubby, then it's good.