All posts tagged: chinese

Braised Pork Belly with Meigan Cai

Published by

Ever since I bought a pack of Meigan cai, or pickled Chinese mustard, I feel the urge of making braised pork whenever I see meigan cai. I guess this stuff is addictive! Meigan cai is dried and pickled Chinese mustard. It is known in Taiwan as a ingredient of Hakka dish, but in fact it’s quite popular in the whole south-eastern China. Chinese mustard is a magical plant for me. There are at least five types of popular pickles are made from it. Each pickle go through different phases of process, and thus each has their special flavor. Since Meigan cai is the pickle which takes longest time to make among the Chinese mustard pickle family, it has a very deep, intense, and mild flavor. To “wake up” your meigan cai, you need to soak it in clean water till it turns soft, and then fry it to bring out its fragrance. Even though Meigan cai is generally fermented with salt, sugar, and chili pepper, there are still some minor differences in taste and flavor …

Lunar New Year Bento🧧

Published by

Last Friday was the first day of lunar calendar for 2021, for the whole weekend I was in holiday mode, which meant eating lots of snacks and hanging out with friends. Traditionally, you expect lots of relatives and friends to visit during New Year, so every household would prepare a red snack box filled with goodies to treat their guests. Today I want to share a classic Shanghai style New Year dish, 四喜烤麩 four happiness wheat gluten(there are four ingredients). You can find wheat gluten in Asian grocery stores as kaofu(烤麩), or mian jin(麵筋). Four Happiness Wheat Gluten Yield: 6-8 bento Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 6 dried shiitake mushroom 1 cup warm water 10oz wheat gluten, sliced into 0.5 inch thick 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup sliced carrot 1/3 cup edamame 1/2 cup wood ear 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce 3 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon mirin Method: In a bowl, soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups …