sliced scallions

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

:
(Five Minutes Preparation, Five Hundred Minutes Satisfaction) 🙂
:
:
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 !
:
Bon Appetit ! Stay healthy ! 🙂
:
:
Click here for more Soup on ChefsOpinion
:
Click here for more Seafood on ChefsOpinion
:
Click here for more Noodles on ChefsOpinion
:
:
Why “Chez Bella” ??? Because……….click here.
:
:
:

:
:
:
:

:
:
:
:
:

Congee With Mushroom, Carrot & Egg

<
“Congee With Mushrooms, Carrots & Egg (Chinese Rice porridge)“
>
Excerpt from a previous post of Congee on ChefsOpinion :
.
” 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. “.
>
Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
>
>
Click here for Congee With Smoked Pigs Tails & Vegetables on ChefsOpinion
>
Click here for more Congee on ChefsOpinion
>
Click here to read all about Congee
>
>
>

Congee With Mushrooms, Carrot & Egg

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

: 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

>
>
>
>

Easy does it # 26 – Char Siu Bao

>
>
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 !
>
>
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.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
For more about Foodtown Market click here
>
>

Char Siu Bao

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

: 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….. 🙂

>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Easy Does It # 23 – Pickled Cauliflower And Pickled Broccolini

>
>
Pickled vegetables are so easy to prepare, they stay fresh in the fridge for day’s and they come in handy any time of the day as a snack, or just as an refreshing side dish.
While you can pickle just about anything with great results, cauliflower and broccolini are my favorites, closely followed by mushrooms and cabbage.
>
Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !
>
>
Link to more “Easy Does It”
>
Link to “Pickled Cabbage Rolls”
>
Link to “Chinese Pickled Cucumbers”
>
Link to “Pickled Chicken” (Pollo En Escabeche)

>
>

Pickled Cauliflower

Pickled Broccolini

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

: blanched broccolini, garlic paste, pickled chilies, sliced onions, shredded carrots

: add kosher salt, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, mix well, marinade at least 24 hours in fridge, serve at room temperature

: Pickled Broccolini

: Pickled Broccolini

: Pickled Broccolini

>
>
>

: raw beauty…………

: cut into florettes

: blanche in salted water, shock in ice water, drain

: add sliced scallions, diced onions, fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil, garlic pasteapple cider vinegar, mix, marinade at least 24 hours