Chinese-style Steamed Sea Cucumber with Tofu

Ingredients

1 pre-soaked sea cucumber about 6 oz
1 pack (10 oz) tofu
1 eggplant
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
1 stalk green onion, chopped

Seasonings

1-1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
dash of chili oil and sesame oil

Method

1. Rinse tofu and then put on a heat-proof dish.
2. Cut eggplant into sections and then thick strips. Arrange on the sides of tofu. Steam until done. Pour away water and keep warm.
3. Blanch sea cucumber in boiling water and then rinse. Cut into slices.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok. Saute ginger, garlic and shallot until fragrant. Add sea cucumber and seasonings. Bring to a boil and cook until sea cucumber is tender. Thicken sauce with some cornstarch solution. Sprinkle with green onion. Pour over steamed tofu and eggplant. Serve hot.

Source: Lisa Yam’s Low Cholesterol Recipes

Chinese Shanghi-style Red Braised Pork Belly

Ingredients

3 /4 lb lean pork belly (cut into 3/4-inch thick pieces)
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon rock sugar
3 tablespoons shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 cups water

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the pork for a couple minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Add oil and sugar to a wok. Cook over low heat until the sugar melts slightly.
3. Add the pork and increase the heat to medium. Cook until the pork is lightly browned.
4. Turn down the heat to low. Add cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until pork is fork tender. Stir every 5 to 10 minutes to prevent burning and add more water if necessary.
5. Once the pork is fork tender, remove the lid and turn up the heat. Stir continuously to reduce the sauce to a thick glistening coating. Serve hot.

Source: Hong Kong magazine

Pizza with Mushrooms and Broccoli

Ingredients

208 grams frozen gluten-free pizza dough, defrosted but chilled
olive oil cooking spray
2 patties chicken breakfast sausage, broken into bite-size pieces
4 cups chopped broccoli
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small bite-size pieces
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
salt
crushed red pepper flakes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Remove the top sheet and flip the dough onto a large baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake until the dough is set, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until lightly browned, then transfer to a bowl.
4. Add the broccoli to the skillet and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl.
5. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
6. Transfer to the bowl. Add the basil and half the chopped tomatoes to the skillet. Simmer until the tomatoes have thickened.
7. Return the broccoli, sausage, and mushrooms to the skillet to warm. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
8. Spread the sauce mixture over the pizza dough and return it to the oven. Bake until the edges of the pizza are brown.
9. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Negative Calorie Diet

Indian-style Vegetarian Sweet and Sour Eggplant

Ingredients

sunflower oil for deep frying
1 large eggplant, cubed
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
6 fresh curry leaves
salt

Method

1. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it is almost smoking, fry the eggplant quickly, until it is golden in colour. It is important to have the oil really hot, or else the eggplant will need to remain in the oil longer and will needlessly absorb more oil.
2. Put 2 tablespoons of the hot oil in another saucepan and add the spice powders. Almost immediately, add the tamarind, sugar and curry leaves.
3. Cook for a couple of minutes until you get a thick sauce.
4. Add the fried eggplant, season with salt and cook for a few minutes, mixing gently to blend into the sauce. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Indian in Six

Chinese-style Roasted Pork Neck

Ingredients

1 kg fresh pork neck — if in 1 piece, cut into 5 thick slices

Marinade

1/4 cup finely diced ginger
10 garlic cloves, finely diced
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons black vinegar
1 cup Shao Hsing wine
1 cup char siu sauce
1 cup Chinese BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1. Combine pork with marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover and leave to marinate in refrigerator overnight.
2. Next day, preheat the oven to moderate (190ºC).
3. Remove pork from the bowl, reserving the marinade. Place pork on a wire rack inside a roasting tin, then fill the tin with water to a depth of 4 cm.
4. Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then turn the meat over and baste with generous amounts of the reserved marinade.
5. Roast for a further 15 minutes, then baste again. Turn oven to hot (220°C) and roast the pork for 10 minutes.
6. Remove pork from oven and allow to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
7. Cut into slices about 1 cm thick and serve with steamed bok choy and cooked rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Kylie Kwong