Chinese Crispy Stuffed Eggplant (5 STAR recipe from MOM)

This is one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE home dishes! These eggplant bites are super crunchy on the outside and soft n' juicy in the inside. Basically, they melt in your mouth after you bite through the light, crispy shell! When I was little, my mom used to cook a lot. I remember she always made these eggplant bites for my birthday parties because they made me so happy!

Here's how to make them:

Ingredients (all items are available in MOST Chinese and Vietnamese supermarkets):
- Chinese Eggplants (3 medium size)
- Fish Paste (1 lb - look for fresh fish paste from the Seafood department, if not available, the frozen kind should work just fine for this dish)  
- Tempura Batter Powder (1 packet) 
- Light Soy Sauce (a few teaspoons)
- Sriracha Hot Sauce  (a few drops)
- Black Bean and Garlic Paste (optional-enhance flavor)

Step 1: Wash and dry eggplants. Cut each piece carefully at an angle (around 1/4"thick)

Step 2: Carefully cut between each slice of eggplant, do not cut all the way through so it will hold the fish paste together

Step 3: Pick up some fish paste with a round knife and stuff inside the opening of the eggplant

Step 4: Dip eggplant into tempura batter (to make tempura batter - mix water with powder and stir until there are no lumps or bubbles)

Step 5: Fry them over medium heat until they're golden brown on both sides

Step 6: In a small saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of Black Bean and Garlic Sauce, Sriracha hot sauce and light soy sauce over low heat. Add half a cup of water in the saucepan SLOWLY as you stir it together. Turn off heat and pour sauce over eggplant bites!

 
Have fun and I hope you like them as much as I do!!!! 

Note: Few people asked me what was FISH PASTE after I made this post...

Well, What is fish paste?

Fish paste comes in all varieties/quality (depending on brand, origin and cost). It's very popular in Asia, so it can be found in most Chinese supermarkets everywhere. You may make it from scratch but I wouldn't recommend it if you're a busy person since it's quite a bit of extra work!

To make it from scratch, please see below:

Ingredients:
Whitefish fillets (2 large pieces)
1 Large Egg

Seasonings:
Rice wine/dry sherry (1 tablespoon)
Light soy sauce (1 tablespoon)
Fresh ginger (minced finely to a paste)
Salt and pepper (a bit more)
Sesame oil (just a little)

Step 1: Mince fish. Tips: Cut into small pieces and hit it with the side of the heavy blade. Keep chopping back and forth until it has a gluey texture. Can be done in a food processor if desired.

Step 2: Put minced fish in a bowl with the seasonings and egg.

Step 3: Mix well and it's ready to be used for all kinds of Asian dishes!  

Indian Chicken Korma (Curry)

I love spicy food when it's cold. Tonight, it's FREEZING and I'm craving for something that brings a little heat. I've got a shortcut/secret to make a good, yet SUPER easy curry! Go to World Market and get the Indian Korma sauce pouch as shown in the picture below. The base of korma sauce is a mixture of yogurt, cream, and pureed nuts, blended with many toasted spices. It's creamy and flavorful and goes very well with rice or naan (Indian flat bread).
Tips: If you don't have a World Market in your area, go to the Asian food aisle at your grocery store and see if they have other options. If they still don't carry anything close to it, get a can of coconut milk and mix it with just about any Indian curry powder over slow heat (add a few teaspoonfuls of curry powder gradually and taste to your preference). Be adventurous and creative. The results could really wow you. 

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks (5-6)
Korma Sauce (see details above)
Frozen Peas (1 bag, 12oz)
Frozen Carrot chips (half cup)
Ginger root (one piece-about the size of half a hand)
Green onion (one bunch)
Potatoes (2 medium sized)

Step 1: Poach chicken drumsticks in a pot of hot water for about 2 hours with ginger root and green onion. It makes the meat very tender and juicy. Make sure all parts are completely submerged. Then, skin, de-bone and pull meat out with your hands once they are cooked through and have cooled down. Set chicken aside in a bowl.
Tips: For vegetarian, skip this step and replace chicken with Cauliflower!

Step 2: Chop potatoes into cubes and boil over high heat. Drain when it's softened. Set aside in another bowl 

Step 3: In a large pot, mix potatoes, peas and carrots with a little olive oil over medium heat

Step 4: Stir the Korma sauce slowly into the pot. 

Step 5: Add chicken to the pot and mix all together.

Step 6: When it comes to boil, turn heat off and serve with rice or naan bread!

Good luck!

Japanese Tuna Salad Sushi Roll (Homestyle)

Tonight, I wanted to make something special yet easy to prepare. Something that we can munch on while we watch a movie. So, I made some tasty tuna salad sushi rolls that are somewhat healthy, kid-friendly and safe to eat (not raw fish). The only thing that you need to "cook" is the egg (which is optional anyway). Ok, there's rice too but I assume that you have a rice cooker to take care of that.

Not only is it economical to make, the ingredients are also very flexible. You can even save them for the next day to take to work for lunch. So as long as you have the seaweed sheets and Japanese rice and some light soy sauce for dipping (all are available in most grocery stores these days, even in Walmart!), all the other ingredients are optional and can be substituted with other choices (example, you can use crab meat or clam meat instead of tuna, carrot instead of cucumber).  Just use your imagination!

Anyway, here's how I made them tonight:
Ingredients:
- Albacore tuna (2 cans)
- Japanese mayonnaise (aka "Kewpie Mayonnaise." It has a very creamy texture. Very rich flavor. Great on Salads. You may substitute it with regular American mayo if you don't want to bother with it. For mine tonight, I used the regular Kraft olive oil mayonnaise. The flavor is not as strong, but since we were only  using a very small portion of it, I was better off with a healthier option)
- Japanese white rice (3 cups. Cooked in rice cooker. Scoop out in a big bowl and chill in room temperature. When it's no longer hot, add rice vinegar. Mix and leave for 10 minutes or so)
- 2 eggs (scrambled with a pinch of sugar)
- 1 cucumber (peeled, pitted and sliced to long tiny strips. The thinner the better)
- 1 big avocado (peeled, pitted and cut to strips. Not too thin, since it's very soft)
- Sushi seaweed sheets (aka "Nori." Seaweed sheets usually come10 in a pack)
- Rice vinegar (a few teaspoons)
- Light soy sauce (a few teaspoons)
- Toasted sesame seeds (a few sprinkles - optional)

step 1: Make tuna salad by draining tuna and mix with 3-4 teaspoonful of mayo (not too wet).

step 2: Place chilled rice on seaweed and spread around on seaweed sheet. Seaweed-shiny side down.

step 3: Put tuna salad, cucumber slices, avocado and egg pieces on one end.
step 4: Roll up slowly and squeeze on the bamboo mat gently to tighten the sushi roll.

step 5: Cut to equal sizes and arrange on plates.

step 6: Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Tips: Make sure the knife you use for cutting the sushi rolls is thin and sharp. That way the roll edges will be smooth. Dip knife over cold water to avoid rice sticking to knife.

Have a good night!

Chinese Turnip Cake (Law Bok Gow)

Mmm, Law Bok Gow, one of my favorite appetizers. It's eaten all year round at my house, especially during Chinese New Year. It's somewhat complicated to make (and takes like a whole day) but we Chinese will tell you it's completely worth it! There is nothing like Law Bok Gow. It symbolizes prosperity and growing fortunes. The flavor is unique and it's crispy and a bit chewy at the same time. The "cake" itself was made mainly from rice flour and thinnly sliced turnip strips. The meat and dried shrimp are added to make it more flavorful. Steamed in a big wok and cool down to fry in medium heat until crispy brown on both sides. Serve immediately with chilli sauce and soy sauce. It's very delicious!

Tips: If you don't have time to make it, you may try the store bought kind from Asian super markets. Avoid buying the frozen ones (They're flavorless and kind of nasty to handle). Go to bakery/cooked food section and see if you can find the freshly made ones. They are usually sold in small, pie-size, round foil dishes. That way, all is left to do is to cut the cake to small slices and pan fry to serve. Yum! :)

To make from scratch, see details below:
http://appetiteforchina.com/recipe/turnip-cake-law-bok-gow

Mini French Toasts (Grandma Style)

To start off the morning for the new year, I made these little guys for breakfast!

Ok, so what's so special about these things? They're easy to make and super delicious for everyone on the weekend. Kids love them!

They're so good that you won't even need butter or syrup!

Ingredients:
- White sugar (2 tablespoon per egg)
- White sliced bread (1 egg is good for 2 slices of bread)
- Cinnamon powder or powder sugar (just a few shakes for a more "professional" look-optional)

step 1: Simply, cut white bread to 4 little squares and dip them to lightly whipped egg + white sugar. Soak a few seconds and make sure both sides are covered with egg mixture.

step 2: Then, fry them in hot veggie/olive oil (medium heat), flip side after 3 minutes. Be sure to watch them as they cook. They cook fast!

step 3 (optional): Sprinkle cinnamon powder or powder sugar at plating.

Enjoy!

Hello 2010!

Oh yes, I woke up this morning on the first day of 2010 and it's radiantly sunny in St. Louis! Lets toss away all the old BS and step into the HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I almost forgot, yes, my dear reader, WELCOME to MUN-CHIES! MUN-CHIES is everything about FOOD! From cooking experiments, tips, Asian/family secret recipes to reviewing special restaurants, diets...etc. It's all here on MUN-CHIES! It's my personal insights on one of the LOVES of my life.