Chili oil

Today´s Lunch at “Chez Bella” – “Seafood Soup With Mee Noodles”

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(Five Minutes Preparation, Five Hundred Minutes Satisfaction) 🙂
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Some leftover chicken stock with a bottle of clam juice (50/50 ratio), seasoned to taste with oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, chili oil, ginger/garlic paste, sliced scallions and chilies, then added a pack of frozen seafood and a couple packs of Mee noodles, some Shaoxing wine, and pronto! – a great lunch in a few short minutes, enjoyed greatly by both Bella and myself.
Just good food, without the drama 🙂 Life is Good !
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Bon Appetit ! Stay healthy ! 🙂
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Click here for more Soup on ChefsOpinion
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Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
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Chinese Pork Dumplings In Tamarind Broth

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Chinese dumplings in soup – there must be a thousand and one variations. Different stuffings, different shapes, different wrappers to enclose the dumplings, dumplings without wrappers (spherical), different broths/soups, thick soups, clear soups, different vegetables to include in the soups, etc, etc, etc.
Then there are all the other Asian countries who have their own traditional versions of all of the above. So, basically, there is probably a MILLION and one recipes out there, one better than the other. 🙂
I have prepared many different ones myself over the decades, both while working in Asia and learning from the locals, as well as creating my own versions of some of the ones I learned to prepare over the years.
The point is, there are too many Asian dumpling soups to mention, but here I give you the most basic, delicious and quick version there is. Once you master this, you will be able to build on that knowledge and practice, preparing your own versions with the ingredients which are the most easy to obtain, the most affordable and the most delicious for your own preferred taste and texture. For this basic recipe, I suggest that you use store-bought wanton wrappers, ground pork and tamarind broth. Then, next time, move on to shrimp, lobster, scallops, chicken or whatever protein you prefer, then use any vegetables or mushrooms you have at hand, any broth/soup such as chicken, beef, fish, sour, spicy, with or without egg, thickened or clear, with or without garlic, with or without ginger, sesame oil, chili oil, fresh lime, calamansi, or – WHATEVER !
Just try to make the whole soup a harmonious combination of flavors and textures. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for CHINESE NEW YEAR EGG DUMPLING SOUP ( 蛋饺 ) ( DAN JIAO ) on ChefsOpinion (Click here to read about : The Year of the Pig begins on Tuesday February 5, 2019)

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P.S.
To prepare the tamarind broth, season chicken beef, seafood or Vegetable broth with tamarind paste or granulated tamarind to taste
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Just a pretty set………

Pork Dumplings In Tamarind Broth

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures

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: 1 lb grd pork, 1/ cup finely diced carrots, 1 tblsp corn starch, 1 ea egg white, 1 tblsp toasted sesame seed oil, 1 tsp chili oil, a pinch of granulated garlic, a pinch of granulated ginger, 2 tblsp slices scallions, 2 tblsp chopped cilantro, soy sauce to taste

: mix well until there are no lumps

: lightly brush a wanton skin with water, add 1 ea tsp stuffing, close the dumpling, squeeze the edges tightly together

: raw dumpling

: cooked dumpling (always prepare and cook one dumpling before you finish the rest to make sure the texture and taste of the stuffing is proper)

: this is about 1/4 of the stuffing, enough for one main course or 4 appetizers (use the rest of the stuffing for another recipe, such as “Lions Heads”)

: simmer the dumplings in salted water until done (about 2-3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stuffing) -again, check one dumpling by cutting it in the middle

: Just a pretty set………

: Pork Dumplings In Tamarind Broth

: Pork Dumplings In Tamarind Broth

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Gordon Bond

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Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

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“Congee With Mushrooms, Carrots & Egg (Chinese Rice porridge)“
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Excerpt from a previous post of Congee on ChefsOpinion :
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” Rice Porridge –
The first thing that comes to mind is probably baby food or hospital gruff.
Most folks would never think of ordering it from a menu in a restaurant, much less wake up and crave it for breakfast, if they hadn’t tasted or at least seen it before.

Now, let’s try again :
Congee. Lúgaw. Chok. Xifan. Juk. Okayu.
OK now, that’s better 🙂

Sounds more interesting and exotic? These are just a few names given to rice porridge around the world. If there is a country or region which traditionally eats rice, then there is some form of rice porridge eaten.
Congee can be enjoyed as breakfast, snack, lunch or dinner. Congee most often contains rice, but other grains can be used.
Ideally, it is made with strong, tasty stock that infuses great taste and debt into the dish. But from there on, let your fantasy run wild. Congee can be made with seafood, meat, vegetables or a combination thereof.
Then there are the toppings – Pickled vegetables, fried shallots, sliced scallions, any mushroom, crisp fried garlic, dried shrimps, 100-year eggs, cilantro, etc, etc.
If you like it, put it on.
Below is a version I made on Sunday for breakfast. The texture is more like a Filipino Lugaw, with the rice VERY soft but still keeping its shape. “.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Congee With Mushrooms, Carrot & Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: to 1 qt chicken stock, add 2 cup cooked Fan (Chinese steamed rice) and 1 cup cleaned, sliced carrots; simmer until the rice and porridge has the desired texture and the carrots are tender (if too dry, add more chicken stock)

: meanwhile, saute 1 cup sliced mushroom of your choice in 1 tblsp peanut oil until lightly browned, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste, reserve

: when the congee has the desired texture, add 4 whole whisked eggs, simmer one minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, plate in a bowl

: drizzle with chili oil (optional)

: sprinkle with 1 tblsp sliced scallions, top with the sauteed mushrooms

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

: Congee With Mushrooms. Carrots & Egg

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Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

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Braised teriyaki chicken tastes more intense of teriyaki sauce than grilled or sautéed teriyaki chicken, because the braising process allows the sauce to penetrate the meat much better than marinating and then grilling or sauteing would.
However, if you only like your chicken skin crisp, this preparation might not be for you. But if on the other hand you do like the texture of a braised chicken skin (think coq au vin as a reference) and if you love the braising liquid/sauce from a well-seasoned braised dish (again, think of the great sauce a coq au vin will provide), this “Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks” will make you happy. The additional sauce from the chicken provides a wonderful coating to the already flavorful rice sticks.
Superb food, achieved with small effort and in little time. Life is Good !
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Teriyaki Dishes on ChefsOpinion
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Click here for Coq Au Vin on ChefsOpinion
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Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: pour enough boiling water over a 8 oz pack of rice sticks, let steep until al dente, about 8 minutes

: drain rice sticks, toss with 1 tblsp chili oil and 1 tblsp sesame oil

: season 3 ea boneless chicken legs with kosher salt, garlic paste and sriracha sauce to taste

: saute the chicken legs on both sides in 1 tblsp peanut oil

: add 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce and 1/3 cup chicken stock, simmer covered until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes; check/adjust seasoning

: meanwhile, stir fry 1 cup finely sliced bell peppers with 1/3 cup finely sliced yellow onion in 2 tblsp peanut oil, season with1 tsp garlic paste and kosher salt to taste, stir fry another minute

: add the rice sticks, stir fry another minute, check/adjust seasoning

: plate the rice sticks on a serving platter

: top with the chicken legs and the teriyaki braising sauce, garnish with herbs or sprouts of your choice ; serves 3

: Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

: Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

: Braised Teriyaki Chicken With Spicy Rice Sticks

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Best Snack – Ever !?

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Pork Rinds, Pork Skins, Pork Scratchings, Pork Crackling, Chicharrones, Scrunchions, Oreilles de Christ, Chicharrón, chicharrón con Gordo, Gratons, Khaep Mu, Tóp Mỡ, škvarky, Grieben, Griaba, Torresmos, Couratos, Knabbelspek, Flæskesvæ, etc, etc, etc.
Fried pork skin is eaten in most if not all areas around the world where pork is consumed. (Many other animal skins, ears and intestines are also used to make cracklings, but today I just want to talk about pork skins, most widely known as Chicharrones, but also by the many other names listed at the beginning of this post.
I sometimes buy them ready-made in bags and have found a few very good brands in the supermarkets around here, especially in the Latin-Markets. But nothing comes close to the freshly made homemade stuff, still warm and with a texture, flavor and aroma which you just don’t get from a bag. I happened to have some pork skin in the fridge which I removed from a pork butt I cooked yesterday, anticipating the chicharrones I wanted to prepare today. (I usually cook the butt skin-on).
However, pork skin is widely available from butchers and markets so you should have no problem sourcing it.
The process is very simple :
To fry the skins, use duck fat, pork fat or peanut oil. Simmer the skin in salted water until very tender, drain, let dry for a couple of hours. Cut into strips or cubes and fry at low temperature until very crisp. Remove to absorbent paper and season to your liking. Just plain kosher salt will do, but you can experiment with additional seasoning, such as cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, curry powder, za-atar, old bay seasoning, or my favorite, five spice powder, which I have used in today’s dish. I also like to sprinkle finely sliced scallions and chili flakes over the cracklings and use a dipping sauce of chili oil and hoi sin sauce.
WARNING !!!!
I recommend to cook the chicharrones outside in the open air; splattering of fat WILL occur !
In any case, no matter if you cook the chicharrones inside or outside, cover the fryer 3/4 with a lid while frying to minimize the fat going all over the place and possibly ignite on the hot stove.

To sum it up – making chicharrones at home is like making love :
– if you know what you are doing, the rewards can be wonderful 🙂
– if you don’t know what you’re doing, you might get burned 😦
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Chicharrones

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: Chicharrones

: Chicharrones

: Chicharrones

: Chicharrones

: Chicharrones

: Chicharrones

: Chicharrones

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Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

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For 50 years I have prepared and eaten Filet Mignon with either Sauce Bernaise or a Demi Glace derived sauce, such as Sauce Chasseur, Sauce Bordelaise, Sauce Chateaubriand, Sauce Perigueux, Sauce Robert, etc, just as any hot-blooded, french-trained chef would do 🙂
Yet yesterday, although I had demi glace at hand ( I usually make a batch of demi glace and freeze it in individual portions ), for this dish I wanted to try something new, especially something to go well with the shiitake mushrooms.
So I mixed together the following ingredients which are a staple on my cupboard :
” Hoi Sin Delight ” –
Hoi sin sauce, soy sauce, garlic paste, chili sauce, lemon juice and – hold on to your hat -ketchup ! From this I got one of the best sauces I ever had with grilled or sauteed meat. I liked it so much that from here on I will use this concoction often, whenever I need a quick and delicious sauce or dip for any protein – seafood, chicken, beef, pork or what-not. Even as a drizzle for fried rice or grilled vegetables, this stuff rocks !
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: mix 2 tblsp hoi sin, 1 tblsp ketchup, 2 tblsp soy, 2 tblsp water, 1 tsp chili sauce, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, simmer for one minute

: Season 5 oz beef filets with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: Sear in a VERY hot cast iron pan on both sides, finish cooking in a 350F oven until cooked to the temperatore of your preference, remove from pan, let rest for 10 minutes before serving

: meanwhile, saute potatoes in garlic oil until golden

: add reconstituted shiitake, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper

: when mushrooms are heated through, add a generous dollop of butter and chopped cilantro

: Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

: Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

: Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

: Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

: Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

: Filet Mignon With Sautéed Potatoes, Shiitake And “Hoi Sin Delight”

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Fiery Midnight Snack – Chilli-Noodles With Seafood And Egg

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Here is the thing – if yo are able to use anything fresh in preparing food – not frozen, not canned, not otherwise preserved – that’s usually the best way to go (although not always).
But, as I have mentioned before, we are not always so lucky as to have access to fresh, unprocessed food. Then, it is my honest opinion that as long as you use good quality preserved food, you will be able to prepare great dishes – just don’t skimp on the quality of the ingredients.
Having said that, if you have a well stocked larder and freezer, you are ready to prepare a wide variety of wonderful dishes without being a slave to store opening hours and store offerings.
Last night for dinner I shared a prosciutto sandwich with Bella at around 9.00 pm. Usually I can withstand any temptation of more food after that time of day, but while setting up to watch a great movie (A simple Plan) , hunger struck me with all its nasty temptations, (Bella of course is always in that state) :-), so I decided to whip up something fierce and satisfying for the both of us.
My larder revealed (among a lot of other goodies) rice noodles (Bánh phở), canned octopus, canned anchovies and canned mussels. In the freezer I had some leftover homemade lobster balls and a bag of titi shrimp. Together with fresh chilies, scallion and onions as well as garlic paste, grated ginger, chili paste, chili oil and sesame oil, this made for a very fiery, very satisfying midnight snack which, after the end of the movie, motivated Bella and I to go on a 1,5 hour early morning walk from 2.30 am to 4,00 am. Life is good !
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Bon Appetit ! Spice-up your Life !
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Chili-Noodles With Seafood And Egg

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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How to cook rice noodles:
Place rice noodles in a deep bowl. Bring a good amount of water to boil. Pour the boiling water over the rice noodles until they are completely submerged. Stir the noodles to prevent from sticking. Check often to see if they’re cooked through. This will take 1 – 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles. Once the noodles are tender, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Toss them with a bit of sesame oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other if you’re not going to use them right away. If you use the noodles in a stir-fry, under-cook them or they will become mushy. If used for soup, you can cook the noodles straight in the soup.

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: steep noodles in boiling water, drain, rinse with cold water

: whisk whole eggs with kosher salt

: saute sliced onions until light brown, add chopped anchovy fillets, saute until anchovies are dissolved

: add garlic paste, grated ginger, fresh chillies, scallions, saute until fragrant

: push vegetables to the side of the pan, add eggs

: cook eggs until set

: add noodles, kosher salt, chili paste and chili oil, stir to mix

: add seafood, stir to mix

: check / adjust seasoning

: Chili-Noodles With Seafood And Egg

: Chili-Noodles With Seafood And Egg

: Chili-Noodles With Seafood And Egg

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Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

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Dear Friend’s,
Although most of my followers are culinary professionals, there is also a large segment of followers who are just starting to enjoy cooking on a slightly higher than basic level. I have therefore decided to publish, under the moniker “Easy Does It“, from time to time some very basic recipe variations of dishes (and even pre-cooked dishes) which otherwise might seem too complicated to some folks. I will break them down to the easiest, most simple instructions, so that those of you who are intimidated by elaborate recipes will be able to prepare these dishes properly, adjusted to your taste and liking, right from the get-go. After all, just because you are not (yet ?) a professional chef should not prevent you from enjoying great food at home. 🙂
Enjoy !
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If only Char Siu Bao (Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled buns) would be as easily available as our western buns in any restaurant, supermarket, bar and dive ! I would devour them at least once a day, everyday :-).
In the not so distant past, I have made Char Siu Bao many times from scratch. After all, over the years (decades), I was in charge of a few Chinese restaurants and even cooked in one on a daily basis (in Pakistan), so I am lucky enough to know the basics of some delicious Chinese food preparation.
However, with a great international/Asian food market close by, there is no need to do all the work by myself anymore. In fact, some of the prepared, frozen food items such as Baozi , Shumai or many other baked, steamed and boiled dumplings which are available frozen at “Foodtown Supermarket” in Davie are better than what I can get in most of the Chinese restaurants around here. And, as a quick dinner after work or a lazy lunch or just a snack in-between, these frozen marvels are unbeatable for convenience, quality and price. So I suggest that if you want to have another great standby for a rainy day, surprise guests or just a quick “different” meal, put some of these into your freezer and be prepared for anything. 🙂
“Foodtown Supermarket” has many varieties of steamed buns, filled with all kind of fillings, but I always come back to the Char Siu Bao which are my favorites.
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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For more about Foodtown Market click here
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Char Siu Bao

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: fill a large pot wirh enough salted water to ALMOST reach the bottom of the first steamer basket add four FROZEN buns

: top first basket with another basket

: add another four buns

: top with the basket top

: cover the pot with a lid, bring the water to a boil, steam until the center of the dumplings reach 162F

: meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce with grated ginger, garlic paste, lime juice, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil and sliced scallions

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: Char Siu Bao

: first bite, of course….. 🙂

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Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

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Udon, the Japanese noodle-love of my life !

Apparently, Alison Spiegel (and many others) caught the same love bug) :

( Excerpt from : The Huffington Post | By Alison Spiegel )
“Ramen may be everyone’s favorite Japanese noodle soup these days, but just because it’s the trendiest doesn’t mean it’s the best. We’re huge fans of ramen — don’t get us a wrong. We could eat ramen for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks any day of the week, instant or otherwise. But it’s time to get to know other Japanese noodles, like soba and udon. Because they’re made with buckwheat, which is gluten free, soba noodles have gotten their due lately. Udon noodles, however, have been falling by the wayside, and we’re here to tell you why you should give them plenty of attention this winter.

Thick, chewy and ridiculously satisfying, udon noodles are in a league of their own. These long, Japanese wheat noodles are great hot or cold, and with a neutral flavor, they’re an unmatchable foundation for everything from miso soups to curry. In Japan,kake udon is one of the simplest and most common ways to eat these soft yet sturdy noodles. Udon noodles are served in hot dashi, a Japanese broth made with kombu and bonito flakes, and are topped with scallions. They might also come with tempura or fish cakes. Other popular ways to eat udon noodles include yakiudon, in which the noodles are stir-fried, and zaru udon, in which the noodles are served cold with a soy-sauce based dipping sauce. However you eat udon noodles, they will leave you feeling full but not stuffed, comforted but not sluggish, and completely nourished.”

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All about Udon
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Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: slice tenderloin tips into batons, season with oregano, chili flakes, whole chilies,and soy sauce

: stir fry in very hot peanut oil until nicely browned but still rare, remove to absorbent paper, discard most of the oil

: in the remaining oil, stir fry sliced onions and garlic paste until fragrant

: add finely sliced bell peppers, stir fry another minute

: add 4 tblsp water, 3 tblsp soy sauce, 2 tblsp oyster sauce, 2 tblsp hoi sin sauce, 1 tblsp ketchup

: simmer for one minute, remove from heat, add a few drops of chili oil and a few drops of sesame oil, check / adjust seasoning

: add cooked udon and stir fried beef tips

: mix well

: Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

: Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

: Udon Noodles With Tenderloin Tips And Bell Peppers

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Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

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Although I have cut back on my consumption of red meat, I still crave a rare steak once in a while. Tenderloin is not usually my cut of choice (that would be bone-in rib eye), but my Argentinian butcher had a special of grass-fed, cleaned and trimmed beef tenderloin for 26.85 per pound. Who could say no to that ? – not me, since the same quality and cut runs usually a lot higher around here.
This cut and quality needs no fru fru, just some kosher salt, garlic oil and chili oil and that’s it – beef heaven 🙂
The mushrooms with cannellini beans are the perfect side dish, spicy, flavorful and hearty.
What a great dinner, Bella and myself perfectly happy and ready to plan the next meal 🙂
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Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
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Grilled Tenderloin With Mushrooms And Cannellini Beans

first bite for Bella, as usual 🙂

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: season tenderloin with kosher salt and rub with chili oil and garlic oil

: grill in a very hot grill pan until marked on one side, turn and finish in a 325F oven until medium rare

: saute mushrooms in olive oil

: add cannellini, garlic paste, sriracha, kosher salt, a dash of maggi and a small amount of grated asiago cheese, simmer one minute, check / adjust seasoning